And-Ones: Rondo, Warriors, Drew
Here are a few miscellaneous links to pass along from tonight:
- The Celtics would rather risk keeping Rajon Rondo until he becomes a free agent next summer than take a deal without a “major player” that chiefly provides salary cap relief, as Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald hears. There’s been no talk between the Rockets and Celtics involving Rondo, as Bulpett also writes.
- The Warriors could possibly carve out a maximum salary slot for Kevin Durant in 2016 without breaking up their current core, explains Tim Kawakami of Bay Area News Group.
- Former Bucks head coach Larry Drew is in discussions to join David Blatt’s coaching staff on the Cavaliers, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link).
- There’s a strong sentiment within the Bucks organization to keep Ersan Ilyasova rather than trade him, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.
- Even though Jason Terry wants a buyout, the Kings currently have no plans to acquiesce, writes Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee.
- Garrett Temple is expected to receive a deal soon to stay with the Wizards; however, Al Harrington – who still plans to play in the NBA for the 2014/15 season – is yet to receive an offer from Washington (Twitter links from J. Michael of CSNWashington.com).
- The Grizzlies didn’t consider waiving Nick Calathes before his contract became guaranteed today, a source tells Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Bulls Offer Contract To Cameron Bairstow
The Bulls have offered a three-year contract to Cameron Bairstow, a source told David Pick of Eurobasket (Twitter link). The 6’9 big man is currently playing for Chicago’s summer league team in Las Vegas, and is averaging 8.3 PPG, 6.3 PPG, and 58.8% shooting in 27.7 MPG through three games.
The Australian native played for four years at the University of New Mexico and had a breakout year in 2013/14, posting 20.4 PPG, 7.4 RPG, and 1.5 BPG while shooting 55.6% from the field; this marked a considerable improvement from his 9.7/5.9/0.6/45.6 line in 2012/13. Chicago selected Bairstow with the 49th overall pick in this year’s draft,
Grizz Eye Grunwald, Dinwiddie For GM-In-Waiting
The Grizzlies have narrowed down their list of candidates for a front office job that could eventually lead to becoming the team’s future general manager, according to Yahoo’s Adrian Wojnarowski. At this point, former Knicks executive Glen Grunwald and current Pacers VP of basketball operations Peter Dinwiddie are considered to be the leading candidates. Both were interviewed for the position last month, and league sources tell Wojnarowski that they are expected to individually meet with team owner Robert Pera soon. Chris Makris – who currently serves as GM of the Grizzlies’ D-League affiliate, the Iowa Energy – is highly regarded within the organization and is also expected to meet with Pera at some point.
Whoever earns the position will be expected to work initially under current GM Chris Wallace, according to sources; however, Wojnarowski adds that the hiring could also ultimately involve a higher-profile decision-making role within the organization.
Suns To Waive Ish Smith
10:52pm: The Suns have officially waived Smith, the team announced on their official website.
4:50pm: The Suns are waiving Ish Smith this evening to avoid his non-guaranteed contract becoming fully guaranteed for $992,435, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Today’s the last day the team can make that maneuver without shelling out for Smith this year, as our schedule of contract guarantee dates shows.
Smith played a prominent role for the Suns this past season, averaging 3.7 points, 2.6 assists and 14.4 minutes per game. It appears to be a numbers crunch at part to blame for his departure, even given Phoenix’s commitment to lineups featuring two point guards. The Suns added point guards Isaiah Thomas via sign-and-trade and Tyler Ennis through the draft to supplement Eric Bledsoe, whom they intend to retain through restricted free agency, and Goran Dragic.
Lakers Notes: Scott, Kelly, Henry, Johnson
There are a few notable links to pass along regarding the Lakers tonight, and you can find them below:
- Medina also confirms the earlier report that Scott will be interviewing with Kupchak and Buss tomorrow. Their meeting will likely involve discussions about the team’s personnel following their recent roster moves, although no offers or contract negotiations regarding the head coaching job are expected yet (Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
- GM Mitch Kupchack and Jim Buss will meet with Byron Scott tomorrow, sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). As we noted last month, Scott appears to be the leading candidate to be the team’s next head coach.
- Ryan Kelly is expected to reach a deal with the team soon, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- Medina adds that while the Lakers like Xavier Henry, no deal is imminent. As for Wesley Johnson, it appears unlikely that he’ll be kept.
- In another piece, Medina writes that it isn’t clear if they’ll make a bid for recently-amnestied forward Carlos Boozer. He also says that the team is expected to sign 2014 second-round pick Jordan Clarkson soon.
- If L.A. does plan to go after Boozer, Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times explains how L.A. can clear some cap room to make a more competitive bid during the waiver period.
Hornets Interested In Lance Stephenson
9:29pm: Stephenson will meet with Hornets brass in Las Vegas tomorrow, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders.
9:13pm: The Hornets are looking into possibly signing Lance Stephenson, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. As Bonnell mentions, the team hadn’t shown much interest in Stephenson once free agency began; however, having lost out on Gordon Hayward after Utah decided to match the Hornets’ offer sheet for the young forward, it doesn’t come as much of a surprise that they’d target another prominent free agent swingman.
Earlier this month, talks between Stephenson and Indiana reached an impasse, as the 6’5 guard chose not to accept a five-year, $44MM deal. Yesterday, we heard that the Pacers couldn’t increase their offer for more than what they’ve already presented to Stephenson. Today, Pacers owner Herb Simon gave Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star a brief description about where the franchise currently stands with respect to negotiations. “We made him a wonderful offer and they didn’t think it was enough so it’s a simple situation” (Twitter link).
Celtics To Keep Phil Pressey
The Celtics have guaranteed Phil Pressey’s contract for 2014/15, a source tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). Today was the last day that the team could waive his non-guaranteed salary for this season before it became fully guaranteed. The 5’11 guard signed a three-year deal last summer worth $2.25MM, although only $490K was fully guaranteed. Pressey will earn roughly $816K this upcoming season.
Pressey appeared in 75 games last season, averaging 2.8 PPG, 3.2 APG, and nearly one steal per game in 15.1 MPG. The 23-year-old guard struggled with his shot however, shooting 30.8% from the field and 26.4% from beyond-the-arc.
Western Notes: Terry, Love, Williams
Jason Terry may still be under contract with the Kings for one more season, but he isn’t ruling out an eventual return to the Mavericks, as both Tim MacMahon (via Twitter) and Bryan Gutierrez of ESPN Dallas note. The former Dallas guard was a guest on 103.3 FM’s Fitzimmons and Friedo Show and expressed his desire for a reunion.
“I won’t rule out returning back to Dallas. It’s my home and my heart…I bleed blue. I’m a Maverick.” Terry added that championships are his driving force as he finishes out his career. “I want to get back on a team that has a realistic shot to win a championship, and I think Dallas is doing those types of things.
Here’s more out of out of the Western Conference this evening:
- Terry also commented on the current state of the Kings and his plans for the near future. “(They’re) in transition right now. For me, at this point in my career, I want championships…I wouldn’t say it’s rebuilding, but a building process…DeMarcus Cousins (is) a huge talent. (His attitude is) a little shaky. Rudy Gay (is) not a proven winner in this league but a tremendous talent and a guy you can build around…I think there will be some more conversations with my agent and the Sacramento Kings to get a better picture of where they are headed and what they’re trying to accomplish.”
- An increasing number of executives around the league expect the Timberwolves will trade Kevin Love before the start of the season, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Warriors and Wolves have resumed their trade talks involving Love after having hit a stalemate earlier, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press. Minnesota believes Golden State will eventually relent and be willing to trade Klay Thompson in a deal for Love, and that the Cavaliers will come around to including Andrew Wiggins in their offers, sources tell Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
- The Mavericks are still looking for another point guard and have spoken with free agent Mo Williams, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports; team president Donnie Nelson doesn’t seem too optimistic about their chances of landing him, notes Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star Telegram (Twitter link).
- Nelson later acknowledged that the team won’t have any money to make a play for Carlos Boozer (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Celtics Re-Sign Avery Bradley
JULY 15TH, 6:40pm: The deal is now official, according to a team press release.
“We see Avery as a key part of our chase of Banner 18,” said Celtics president Danny Ainge in a statement. “He keeps getting better and is still far from reaching his ceiling. We’re ecstatic to have him back.”
JULY 2ND, 9:28am: It’ll be a fully guaranteed contract with no option clauses, Butler tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
8:47am: The deal is worth $32MM over four years, tweets Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe.
8:20am: The Celtics will re-sign restricted free agent Avery Bradley, reports Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The terms of the deal for the Mitchell Butler client aren’t immediately clear.
The C’s had been telling other free agents that Bradley would be a part of the club going forward, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), so it appears they were confident all along that the guard would re-sign. Still, the Sixers, armed with tons of cap flexibility, made contact with the 23-year-old Bradley shortly after free agency began. Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge nonetheless made reference within the past week to the former 19th overall pick as a major part of the franchise’s future, and stated his belief in the ability of Bradley, Rajon Rondo, and the newly drafted Marcus Smart to co-exist on the team.
Executives who spoke recently to Chris Mannix of SI.com believed Bradley would end up with annual salaries between $7MM and $9MM. That’s after he reportedly turned down a four-year, $24MM extension offer from the Celtics last fall. He proceeded to put up a career year, scoring 14.9 points per game and draining 39.5% of his three-point attempts, proving he’s more than just a defensive specialist. The C’s and Bradley have had a mutual interest in his return, and Bradley has spoken of his affection for playing with Rondo. Perhaps Bradley’s willingness to re-sign so quickly indicates that Rondo, a free agent next year, is likely to remain in Boston, too, though that’s just my speculation.
Heat Sign James Ennis
TUESDAY, 5:32pm: The Heat have officially announced the signing, according to a team press release.
“We were excited to draft James a year ago and have been impressed by the growth of his game in Summer League and Puerto Rico, as well as his terrific experience in Australia, leading Perth to a championship,” said team president Pat Riley in a statement. “We are looking forward to the infusion of energy he will bring to our roster.”
JUNE 13TH: With the Heat on the ropes to the Spurs in the NBA Finals, the need for the team to get younger and deeper is becoming apparent. The Heat are pleased enough with the development of 2013 second-round pick James Ennis that there is a “strong likelihood” the team will sign him this summer, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link).
After a strong season in Australia’s National Basketball League where he averaged 21.2 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 2.0 APG, Ennis spent the past week working out for the Heat front office in Miami, reports Charania (via RealGM). Ennis, 23, will headline the Heat’s Summer League rosters in Orlando and Las Vegas, according to the article.
The Heat acquired Ennis from the Hawks, who selected him with the 50th overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. The potential signing of Ennis would likely be a multi-year deal, sources told Charania.