Free Agent Updates: Barron, Balkman, Wright
As free agents continue to land on NBA training camp rosters or with international teams in advance of the coming season, let's round up a few of today's items on new signings and players still on the market….
- Free agent big man Earl Barron has signed with China's Qingdao DoubleStar, agent Derrick Powell tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link). Barron reportedly drew interest from the Pelicans, Sixers, Pacers, and Jazz, and had been hoping to sign with the Knicks. However, New York decision-makers were said to be split on whether or not to add the former Memphis Tiger.
- Ex-Knick Renaldo Balkman is considering accepting a training camp invite from the Mavericks, according to Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News. The Mavs, who have one open roster spot left for camp, are hoping to bring in "active defensive-minded bodies" to fill out their preseason roster, says Sefko.
- Former first round pick Antoine Wright is set to sign with a club in Poland, according to a report passed along by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Wright played in the D-League last season and most recently appeared in the NBA in 2010/11.
- Shams Charania of RealGM.com spoke to former Clippers forward Bobby Simmons, who says he's still aiming to make an NBA comeback. As our international player movement tracker shows, Simmons didn't play in the NBA or anywhere else last season.
Lou Amundson To Join Clippers For Camp
After being linked to the Clippers in multiple reports over the last several weeks, Louis Amundson is prepared to join the team for training camp, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). It appears that Amundson will be the first fully non-guaranteed camp invitee added by the Clips, bringing the club's roster to 16 players.
In addition to their 13 players on guaranteed contracts, the Clippers also have Maalik Wayns on a non-guaranteed deal and signed Brandon Davies to a contract that included a $50K guarantee. Given his advantage in NBA experience and the club's potential need in the frontcourt, Amundson may have the upper hand for earning one of those last two roster spots, though he'll likely need to impress in camp.
Amundson, 30, saw NBA action for the Timberwolves, Bulls, and Hornets (now the Pelicans) last season, averaging 1.9 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 39 contests. As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors wrote when he examined Amundson's free agent stock, 2012/13 certainly wasn't the best showcase of the big man's ability, but he's still capable of grabbing some rebounds in limited minutes off the bench.
Mitch Kupchak Talks Kobe, FAs, Roster, D’Antoni
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak spoke to L.A. reporters today at a preseason conference, fielding questions on a number of topics related to the club's offseason and upcoming camp. A handful of Lakers scribes, including Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times, Mike Bresnahan of the L.A. Times, and Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, passed along highlights from the presser on Twitter, so let's dive in and round them up….
- As we heard over the weekend, there have been no extension talks yet between Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, though Kupchak expects to sit down and discuss it at some point during the season.
- Even if the Lakers star hits free agency in 2014, he has made it clear he intends to retire with the team, and Kupchak says the club reciprocates that desire.
- Taking into account the league's new CBA, Kupchak anticipates it will be difficult to get free agents to move next summer. However, the GM reiterated that the club is looking ahead not just to the 2014 offseason, but also to 2015 and beyond.
- Lakers ownership may be more open to the idea of carrying 14 or 15 players than it has been in the last few years, according to Kupchak.
- Asked about the reluctance from Lakers fans to accept Mike D'Antoni as head coach, Kupchak replied, "We try to give him all the support we can…. He has to realize, and I'm sure he does, that we back him 100%."
- With so many players on one-year contracts this year, there will be plenty of incentive for them to play their well into long-term deals, says Kupchak.
- The Lakers GM added that 2014 should be a good year to have a first-round draft pick, which is something the team hasn't held in several years.
Mavs Notes: Ellis, Carmichael, Rosas
After missing out on their top free agent target for the second straight year, the Mavericks signed a handful of players to multiyear contracts this summer. Among them: Monta Ellis, who has a chance to be one of the more dangerous backcourt scorers to play in Dallas for the last several years. Appearing on the Ben & Skin Show on ESPN 103.3 FM in Dallas, Ellis indicated that he's excited to be in Dallas and is "happy to be a Maverick."
"I chose this place because, of all the options that I had, I felt like this was the best chance and the best opportunity for me to be on that elite state," Ellis said. "They're a great organization. They got a hall of fame player in Dirk [Nowitzki], so without the defense focused mostly on me, I can expand my game a little bit more."
Here's more on Ellis and the Mavs:
- The Dallas Morning News has a few more quotes from Ellis, including his thoughts on playing with Nowitzki and his first impressions upon meeting head coach Rick Carlisle.
- Undrafted rookie Jackie Carmichael played for the Mavs' Summer League squad, and the team would have liked to add him to its training camp roster, but it didn't work out, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes. "Unfortunately, I think financially he was looking for a good opportunity overseas," Mavs GM Gersson Rosas said of Carmichael. "So that’s why we couldn’t get him here, but we tried." As our international tracker shows, the former Illinois State forward is ticketed for Spain this season.
- Rosas also tells Price that, after moving to the Mavs from the Rockets' front office earlier this year, he has "got the red out of his system" and is feeling like a Maverick.
Update On 2013 Rookie Scale Extensions
Halloween falls on a Thursday this year, which means that as of tomorrow, we're five weeks away from the 2013 rookie scale extension deadline. 2010 first-round picks still on their rookie scale deals will be eligible for extensions up until that day — if they don't work out long-term pacts with their respective teams by then, they'll hit the free agent market next summer.
Typically, teams will negotiate extensions with eligible players right up until the 11th hour. A year ago, Blake Griffin quickly agreed to a maximum extension with the Clippers, and the Thunder and Serge Ibaka worked out a long-term contract in August. But the other six players who signed rookie scale extensions all had their deals finalized on either October 30th or 31st.
This offseason though, there has been a little more early action than usual. So far, three players have officially inked long-term extensions, while another one could do so within the next week. Let's catch up with this year's extension-eligible players and see which guys have new contracts, which ones could still work something out, and which ones may have to wait until next summer for a new deal….
Done:
Paul George (Pacers): Five years, maximum salary (eligible for 30% max if named to 2013/14 All-NBA team)
Larry Sanders (Bucks): Four years, $44MM
John Wall (Wizards): Five years, maximum salary (eligible for 30% max if named 2013/14 MVP)
The new deals for George and Wall ensure this is the third straight time that multiple extension-eligible players have received max deals of some kind. Last year, it was Griffin and Harden; the year before that, Derrick Rose, Russell Westbrook, and Kevin Love all signed for max salaries.
Likely:
DeMarcus Cousins (Kings)
Cousins and the Kings are said to be nearing an agreement, which could be finalized before training camp even opens. We'll see just how all-in the new ownership group is on Cousins when the details of his contract emerge, but there's a decent chance the big man becomes the third extension candidate of the offseason to receive the five-year max, making him his team's designated player.
Up in the air:
Eric Bledsoe (Suns)
Derrick Favors (Jazz)
Gordon Hayward (Jazz)
Greg Monroe (Pistons)
Greivis Vasquez (Kings)
Some of these possibilities are more likely than others. Negotiations are ongoing for Favors and Hayward, and I'd be surprised if the Jazz didn't extend at least one of the two. But I'm not sure the Suns will commit long-term to Bledsoe before he plays a game in a Phoenix uniform, and the same can be said for Vasquez and the Kings. Monroe, meanwhile, may be headed for restricted free agency in 2014, given agent David Falk's aversion to early extensions.
Unlikely:
Trevor Booker (Wizards)
Avery Bradley (Celtics)
Jordan Crawford (Celtics)
Ed Davis (Grizzlies)
Patrick Patterson (Kings)
Quincy Pondexter (Grizzlies)
Kevin Seraphin (Wizards)
Evan Turner (76ers)
Ekpe Udoh (Bucks)
Last fall, Taj Gibson's four-year, $32MM was the smallest of the eight rookie scale extensions, but it's not always just big-name players who sign new deals. In recent years, players like Kosta Koufos, Jared Dudley, and Thabo Sefolosha have inked extensions more in the mid-level range, so it's possible some of the guys above will sign similar pacts. For now though, there's no indication that anything is imminent. Bradley represents the likeliest candidate of this group, but he's coming off an underwhelming season, so the Celtics seem to prefer a wait-and-see approach.
For more details on this year's extension-eligible players, be sure to check out our Extension Candidate series.
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Lakers Notes: Johnson-Odom, Boateng, Buss
As we heard over the weekend, the Lakers have yet to start negotiating a contract extension with Kobe Bryant, which is hardly a surprise, given the new CBA. Veteran extensions have become virtually non-existent since the lockout, and given the uncertainty relating to Kobe's recovery from Achilles surgery, there's no reason for either side to rush into contract discussions.
Here's more on the Lakers:
- Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports (via Twitter) that she has heard Darius Johnson-Odom and Eric Boateng mentioned as possible camp invitees for the Lakers. However, nothing has been finalized yet.
- Gilbert Arenas and Kareem Rush have also been spotted working out recently at the Lakers facility, according to Shelburne, but she says not to read too much into that (Twitter link).
- Jim Buss and Jeanie Buss have been the ones making headlines lately, but their younger brother Jesse Buss is also involved with the team, and spoke to Laker Nation about his role with the NBA team and its D-League affiliate. Among other topics, Buss addressed the challenge of scouting for a franchise that always has a win-now mentality, and discussed the outlooks for rookies Ryan Kelly and Elias Harris.
Pacers Sign Paul George To Five-Year Max Deal
WEDNESDAY, 9:53am: The Pacers have officially announced George's contract extension in a press release. For a breakdown on what the specifics of the deal should look like, check out our write-up from Monday.
TUESDAY, 3:46pm: George and the Pacers have finalized an agreement, and will make it official tomorrow, tweets Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star. The team has sent out a press release announcing an 11:00am press conference.
MONDAY, 1:15pm: While George has been talking about his extension as if it's a done deal, Pacers president Larry Bird tells Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star that it's close, but not quite finished.
"That’s why I’m not playing golf today," Bird told Pointer, during an appearance before a Pacers Foundation golf outing at Brickyard Crossing. "I’m going back to the office to work on it."
Even as Bird pumps the brakes a little, it sounds to me as if it will just be a matter of days before we hear an official announcement from the team.
SUNDAY, 9:21pm: The Pacers and Paul George are finalizing a five-year deal worth more than $90MM, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. George is represented by Aaron Mintz of CAA Sports, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
George, 23, was scheduled to become a restricted free agent following the conclusion of the 2013/14 season. While there wasn't a ton of concern that George would flee the Pacers, fans were able to breathe even easier thanks to the star's comments over the summer. Last week, George said point blank that a contract extension was "going to get done" between him and the club.
The forward was named the NBA's Most Improved Player for 2012/13, when he set career-highs in PPG (17.4), RPG (7.6), PER (16.8), and several other categories. He also helped lead the Pacers to within one game of the NBA Finals, even without the services of Danny Granger.
George boosted his scoring average from 17.0 PPG in the regular season to 19.2 PPG during the Pacers' playoff run. He made himself a household name in the postseason and he could make himself known even more on a global scale if he's part of USA Basketball's 2014 team and the 2016 Olympic team in Brazil.
With George under contract for the forseeable future, the Pacers can now turn their focus to finishing what they started last season. George will spearhead an improved team this season that will feature a healthy Granger and an improved bench with offseason additions Luis Scola and Chris Copeland off the bench.
Indiana re-signed David West to a three-year, $36MM extension in July and locked up Roy Hibbert with a four-year, $58MM deal last summer. The Pacers had until October 31st to hammer something out with George, but it looks like they can use the next few weeks to go candy shopping instead.
Tracy McGrady Doesn’t Intend To Play In China
Tracy McGrady officially announced his retirement from the NBA a month ago, but left the door open to return to the league in which he played last season: The Chinese Basketball Association. As recently as last week, we heard that T-Mac was contemplating playing one more year in China, telling the Sun Herald, "I have a lot of fans over there, so we'll see."
Now though, as rumors swirl about McGrady discussing a potential salary for 2013/14 with Chinese clubs, McGrady took to Weibo himself to announce that he currently doesn't have any plans to play in the CBA (hat tip to SportsKeeda.com).
"I want to let my fans know the Chinese media is making false statement about how much money I asked for to play in the CBA," McGrady wrote in a statement. "That's not the truth 'cause I have no intention on playing basketball in the NBA or the CBA. I'll keep you all posted on new updates, thanks!"
In 29 CBA games last season, McGrady averaged 25.0 PPG and 7.2 RPG for the Qingdao Double Star Eagles, so he still seems to have plenty left in the tank. And just because he has indicated now that he doesn't intend to return overseas, that doesn't mean anything is set in stone. For now though, it seems the former ninth overall pick is content with retirement.
Yesterday, we heard that another former NBA All-Star, Gilbert Arenas, does plan to return to China for the coming season.
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Bobcats, Abdul-Jabbar
A few notes from around the Eastern Conference.
- The Knicks are taking a new approach to next season, including starting the year with Amar'e Stoudemire on a capped minutes restriction, writes KnicksJournal.com's Keith Schlosser.
- According to the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell, Bobcats point guard Kemba Walker was incredibly helpful in the recruitment process that brought Al Jefferson to Charlotte.
- Long in search of a head coaching gig in the NBA, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar decided to stop searching for a position when the Bucks hired Larry Drew instead of giving the Hall of Fame center a chance, according to New York Daily News reporter Mitch Abramson.