Wolves Notes: Turiaf, Williams, Camp Roster
The Timberwolves held a press conference today to introduce offseason signee Ronny Turiaf to the media, and while no groundbreaking news emerged from the presser, Turiaf did express enthusiasm about joining a potential playoff team in Minnesota.
"I'm so excited about joining this team because of what they already are and what I can bring to the table," Turiaf said, according to Jon Krawczynski of the Associated Press (link via the Star Tribune). "It's this kid excitement, this pureness about really wanting to accomplish something special."
Here's more out of Minnesota…
- When GM Flip Saunders called him during July's free agent period, Turiaf felt like Minnesota was where he belonged, he told reporters today (Twitter link via Timberwolves PR).
- Saunders was asked about the looming decision on Derrick Williams' $6.33MM fourth-year option, which is due by the end of October, and replied "I think he's going to be here," according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune says that he doesn't think there's any real debate over whether the Wolves will pick up Williams' 2014/15 option, adding that Saunders seems to view it as a straightforward decision (Twitter links). Meanwhile, Wolfson suggests (via Twitter) that he thinks the team will exercise Williams' option, but eventually trade him.
- The Wolves continue to talk to agents and could add at least one more player to their training camp roster, tweets Zgoda.
Paul George Plans To Sign Extension With Pacers
The Pacers have until October 31st to reach an agreement on a new contract for Paul George, avoiding going through the process of restricted free agency next summer. And according to George, he and the team plan to work out an extension by that Halloween deadline.
"[A long-term contract] is going to get done," George told Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star. "There will be a deal signed and sealed on the table before the season. We’re on the same page."
Pacers president Larry Bird also expressed optimism this week about getting something done before the season, according to Pointer. Bird noted that it would remove a potential distraction from the equation, and give George some long-term security.
"We are working it on it now," Bird said. "We’ve got a way set up where we definitely think we can get something done, but it’s going to have to work for both parties."
Because the Pacers would have the ability to match any rival offer sheet George signed in the summer of 2014, there has never been any real concern that the rising star would leave Indianapolis anytime soon. However, it wasn't clear whether the two sides would be able to reach an extension agreement this offseason, or whether George would hit the open market next July.
As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors wrote when he examined George's extension candidacy earlier this summer, the 23-year-old would certainly receive a four-year maximum salary offer in free agency. As such, Indiana will likely have to offer something in that neighborhood, unless the former 10th overall pick is willing to take a discount. We'll have to wait and see what sort of deal is reached by George and the Pacers, but perhaps the club could offer a fifth year in exchange for the CAA client accepting slightly less than the max.
George 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 injured Danny Granger.
So far this offseason, two players eligible for rookie-scale extensions have inked new deals: John Wall signed a five-year max contract with the Wizards, while Larry Sanders reached a four-year, $44MM agreement with the Bucks.
Hawks Reach Agreement With Damien Wilkins
Over two years removed from his last action for the Hawks, Damien Wilkins is set to rejoin the team, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Charania reports (via Twitter) that the Hawks have reached an agreement with Wilkins on a training camp contract.
Wilkins, 33, had a solid season off the Sixers bench in 2012/13, appearing in 61 games and recorded 6.4 PPG to go along with a 12.5 PER. Both marks were the highest he'd posted since his days with the Seattle SuperSonics. Nearly a week ago, we heard that Wilkins had been working out with the Hawks in Atlanta, and that he had worked out for the Spurs as well.
Earlier today, it was reported that the Hawks will bring Royal Ivey into camp next month, so it seems the club is targeting veteran NBA free agents with its latest camp invites, rather than undrafted rookies or players from overseas. With Ivey and Wilkins on board, Atlanta's roster count will be up to 18 players, though only 12 of them have fully guaranteed contracts.
2015 NBA Free Agents
2015 NBA free agents: Hoops Rumors has the definitive list right here, updated constantly. These are players who are eligible for restricted or unrestricted free agency after the 2014/15 season. The player’s 2015 age is in parentheses. Players who are on our 2014 free agent list are not seen here.
Players with team or player options for the 2015/16 season are listed, unless they’re still on their rookie scale contracts. Players whose 2015/16 contracts aren’t fully guaranteed are listed and marked with (N), unless they have an earlier non-guaranteed season on their deals, in which case they can be found here or here. Potential restricted free agents are marked with (R).
If you have any corrections or omissions, please contact us. For instant free agent updates, be sure to follow us on Twitter @hoopsrumors.
Updated 2-24-16
Point Guards
Jake Anderson (28)
Ryan Boatright (23)
Lorenzo Brown (25)
Deonte Burton (24)
Quinn Cook (22)
Will Cummings (23)
Tim Frazier (25)
Jimmer Fredette (26)
Erick Green (24)
Jorge Gutierrez (27)
Stefhon Hannah (30)
Pierre Jackson (24)
Lazeric Jones (25)
Tre Kelley (30)
Denzel Livingston (22)
John Lucas III (33)
Darius Morris (24)
Jannero Pargo (36)
Luke Ridnour (34)
Nate Robinson (31)
Shannon Scott (23)
Edgar Sosa (27)
Juwan Staten (23)
David Stockton (24)
Keifer Sykes (22)
Travis Trice (22)
Briante Weber (23)
Charlie Westbrook (26)
Scottie Wilbekin (22)
Remi Yusuf (31)
Shooting Guards
Ray Allen (40)
Chris Babb (25)
Vander Blue (23)
Ronnie Brewer (30)
Jabari Brown (23)
Shannon Brown (30)
Patrick Christopher (27)
Jordan Crawford (27)
Nando De Colo (28) (R)
Bryce Dejean-Jones (23)
Yakhouba Diawara (33)
Jamaal Franklin (24)
Michael Frazier (21)
Ben Gordon (32)
Treveon Graham (22)
Willie Green (34)
Corey Hawkins (24)
Marshall Henderson (25)
Matt Janning (27)
Jaron Johnson (23)
Nick Johnson (23)
Dahntay Jones (35)
Sean Kilpatrick (25)
Ricky Ledo (23)
Malcolm Lee (24)
Toure’ Murry (26)
Dan Nwaelele (31)
Terran Petteway (23)
Michael Qualls (21)
Levi Randolph (23)
Jason Richardson (34)
Wesley Saunders (22)
Jordan Sibert (23)
Marcus Simmons (27)
Julyan Stone (27)
Devin Sweetney (28)
J.P. Tokoto (22)
Corey Walden (23)
Dez Wells (23)
Terrico White (25)
Nick Wiggins (24)
Elliot Williams (26)
Tony Wroten (22)
Small Forwards
Dionte Christmas (29)
Coty Clarke (23)
Austin Daye (27)
Chris Douglas-Roberts (28)
Jarell Eddie (24)
Melvin Ejim (24)
C.J. Fair (24)
Landry Fields (27)
Francisco Garcia (34)
Danny Granger (33)
Eric Griffin (25)
Xavier Henry (24)
DeQuan Jones (25)
Perry Jones III (24)
Cartier Martin (32)
Darius Miller (25)
Malcolm Miller (22)
Willie Reed (25)
Glen Rice Jr. (24)
John Salmons (35)
D.J. Stephens (25)
DaJuan Summers (27)
Adonis Thomas (22)
Sam Thompson (23)
Axel Toupane (23)
Hedo Turkoglu (36)
Henry Walker (28)
Greg Whittington (22)
Damien Wilkins (35)
Reggie Williams (29)
Jamil Wilson (25)
Power Forwards
Jeff Adrien (29)
Furkan Aldemir (24)
Brandon Ashley (21)
Darion Atkins (23)
Jeff Ayres (28)
Michael Beasley (26)
Carlos Boozer (34)
Elton Brand (36)
Sampson Carter (25)
Kyle Casey (26)
Earl Clark (27)
Jack Cooley (24)
Glen Davis (29)
Reggie Evans (35)
Justin Harper (26)
Jonathan Holmes (23)
Jon Horford (24)
Vince Hunter (21)
Kadeem Jack (23)
Omari Johnson (26)
Arsalan Kazemi (25)
Michale Kyser (24)
Marcus Landry (30)
Rashard Lewis (36)
Quincy Miller (23)
Nick Minnerath (26)
Tony Mitchell (23)
Eric Moreland (24)
Maurice Ndour (23)
J.J. O’Brien (23)
Josh Powell (32)
Anthony Randolph (26)
Ronald Roberts Jr. (24)
Alex Stepheson (28)
Deshaun Thomas (24)
Malcolm Thomas (27)
Nikoloz Tskitishvili (32)
Chris Walker (21)
Gerald Wallace (33)
Shawne Williams (29)
Patric Young (23)
Talib Zanna (25)
Centers
Jeff Ayres (28)
Jordan Bachynski (26)
Earl Barron (34)
Keith Benson (27)
Samuel Dalembert (35)
Chris Daniels (33)
Michael Dunigan (26)
Nnanna Egwu (23)
Jarrid Famous (27)
Josh Harrellson (26)
Chuck Hayes (32)
Brendan Haywood (36)
Michael Holyfield (23)
Jerome Jordan (29)
Nazr Mohammed (38)
Yanick Moreira (24)
Youssou Ndoye (24)
Jermaine O’Neal (37)
Emeka Okafor (33)
Oleksiy Pecherov (30)
Kleon Penn (29)
Jaleel Roberts (23)
Larry Sanders (27)
Henry Sims (25)
Greg Smith (24)
Joshua Smith (23)
Greg Stiemsma (30)
Hasheem Thabeet (28)
Ronny Turiaf (32)
Jeremy Tyler (24)
Robert Upshaw (21)
Jason Washburn (25)
Basketball Insiders and HoopsHype were used in the creation of this list.
Eastern Notes: Singleton, Okafor, Bulls, Knicks
Chris Singleton will undergo foot surgery today and will be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, the Wizards announced today in a press release. Not only does the injury, which occurred in a voluntary workout, put Singleton's status for opening night in jeopardy, but it could have an impact on his future in Washington.
The Wizards have until October 31st to decide whether or not to exercise Singleton's $2.49MM option for the 2014/15 season. Now that the club won't get to watch him in camp and in the preseason, the decision figures to be made primarily based on his NBA production to date, which has been underwhelming — he has averaged 4.4 PPG and an 8.1 PER in his first two seasons.
As we wish Singleton a speedy recovery, let's round up a few more items from around the Eastern Conference….
- Singleton's teammate, Emeka Okafor, also looks like he'll miss the start of the season. The Wizards announced today that Okafor, who is entering a contract year, will be out indefinitely as he rehabs from a herniated disc. Okafor tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he's not considering retirement and plans to return this season (Twitter link).
- While Tom Thibodeau has downplayed any sort of discord between him and the Bulls' front office, a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the head coach would be upset if the team traded Luol Deng or let him walk in free agency. "Ask Tom how important he thinks Luol is," the source said. "How happy do you think he would be with that decision?"
- In his latest Heat mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel shares his thoughts on Dwyane Wade vs. Kyrie Irving, Joel Anthony's contract, and Steve Kerr's 2013/14 predictions.
- Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com explores the issue of how the Knicks will complete their roster, asking readers if the team should add a big man, a forward, or a guard.
- Begley adds (via Twitter) that former prep star Jonathan Hargett worked out at the Knicks facility, though it was in an informal capacity and the team isn't currently planning to sign him.
Royal Ivey To Join Hawks For Camp
Despite never averaging more than 5.6 PPG or higher than an 11.0 PER, Royal Ivey has appeared in at least 25 games in every NBA season since he was drafted in 2004. He'll have a chance to try to earn a roster spot and continue that streak this fall, as he joins the Hawks for training camp, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports (via Twitter).
Ivey, 31, appeared in 53 games for the Sixers last season, averaging 13.2 minutes per contest. The former second-round pick recorded 3.2 PPG, with most of his points coming from long-range — he shot 42.0% on three-pointers, scoring about 65% of his points from downtown.
We heard back in August that Ivey was set to work out for the Hawks, but Atlanta wasn't the only team to exhibit some interest in the veteran guard. The Spurs also reportedly worked him out, and Ivey drew interest from the Suns and Bucks as well.
Of those four teams, the Hawks have the fewest fully guaranteed contracts on their books, with just 12 so far. That should give Ivey an opening to earn a regular-season roster spot, though he'll have some competition. Shelvin Mack, David Lighty, and Eric Dawson all have non-guaranteed deals, while Mike Scott has a partial guarantee on his contract.
Grizzlies To Bring Tony Gaffney To Camp
The Grizzlies will add another contract to their books and bring Tony Gaffney to training camp, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Stein doesn't specify the details of the deal, but it sounds as if Gaffney will get a fully non-guaranteed camp invite, with a chance to earn a regular-season roster spot.
Gaffney, 28, went undrafted out of UMass in 2009, and has played primarily overseas since then. As our international tracker shows, he was already set to play for Telekom Bonn in Germany this season, but Stein tweets that the deal included an NBA out, allowing the veteran forward to accept a camp invite. In 23 games for Italy's Joventut Badalona last season, Gaffney averaged 11.5 PPG and 5.9 RPG.
After adding Gaffney to the roster, the Grizzlies will be carrying 16 players. However, only 13 of those contracts are guaranteed. Josh Akognon, Willie Reed, and Gaffney will be given the chance to compete for a roster spot in camp, assuming the team intends to carry 14 or 15 players into the season.
Olek Czyz To Attend Camp With Bucks
Olek Czyz will attend training camp with the Bucks next month, according to an announcement on the player's official website (hat tip to Sportando). As our international tracker shows, Czyz spent last season with Virtus Roma in Italy.
Playing for a Virtus Roma team that also included Gigi Datome, who signed with the Pistons this summer, Czyz appeared in 48 games last season, averaging 5.6 PPG and 3.7 RPG in just 14.5 minutes per contest. The 6'8" forward becomes the third Bucks camp invitee to be reported this week, as the club is set to bring in Trey McKinney Jones and Junior Cadougan as well.
The Bucks already have 15 players on guaranteed contracts, so their camp invitees won't have a great shot to make the regular-season roster. It's possible that Milwaukee is looking to retain the D-League rights to a few players, but the Bucks share their affiliate, the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, with five other NBA teams, so their control over the D-League squad is limited.
Rockets Links: Howard, Backcourt, Grasso
When free agency opened on July 1st this year, the Rockets were the first team to meet with Dwight Howard. While that ultimately worked out well for the team, it made GM Daryl Morey uncomfortable at the time, as he told MaD Radio in Houston.
"By going first, I think the other teams have somewhat of an edge. They can trash us in the future meeting," Morey said. "We felt like we had the strongest story and that is what won the day. Dwight was very positive after our meeting, so we felt good at that point."
Here's more on the Rockets, from Morey and others:
- In the same conversation with MaD Radio, Morey admitted that there are probably at least three teams in the NBA currently stronger than the Rockets. "I think [the Heat, Thunder, and Spurs], I would say going in for sure are better than us, and they’ve definitely proven more," Morey said. "I think the Bulls and the Pacers, they’re very good as well this year. I am hoping we are in the mix with them, maybe equal quality."
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Bradford Doolittle ranks the top backcourts in the NBA by projected WARP, and the No. 1 team is a bit of a surprise: Houston's backcourt, led by James Harden, Jeremy Lin, and Patrick Beverley, tops the list.
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv hears that Iona assistant Jared Grasso is in discussions with the Rockets about coaching their D-League affiliate, the Rio Grande Valley Vipers (Twitter link). We heard last week that Houston was talking to another NCAA assistant, Billy Lange, about the job, but he reportedly turned down the team's offer.
Pelicans Expect To Add More Players Before Camp
The Pelicans currently have 15 players on their roster, but the team doesn't intend to head into training camp with only those players under contract. GM Dell Demps tells Nakia Hogan of the New Orleans Times-Picayune that, while no major moves are expected, the Pelicans are eyeing additional players.
"I think we will probably add a couple of guys before camp," Demps said. "Coach [Monty] Williams and I, we talked about it…. We'll probably add more guys for training camp with the opportunity to make the team."
As I explained last week, NBA teams are permitted to carry up to 20 players during the offseason. However, the roster must be reduced to a maximum of 15 players by opening night. Although they have 15 players under contract, the Pelicans only have 13 players on guaranteed deals, which means camp invitees could compete for the 14th and 15th roster spots. Lance Thomas and Arinze Onuaku occupy those last two spots for now, but Thomas only has a small guarantee on his deal, while Onuaku's contract is fully non-guaranteed.
It's not clear yet exactly which players will join the Pelicans in camp, but the team has reportedly worked out or expressed interest in a number of players over the last few weeks, including Hamed Haddadi, Earl Barron, Josh Powell, Josh Childress, Reyshawn Terry, and James Nunnally.