Knicks Re-Sign Lance Thomas
FRIDAY, 9:45pm: The signing is official, the Knicks announced.
8:33pm: New York is likely to ink Thomas using available cap space, and not a trade exception, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
THURSDAY, 7:15pm: The Knicks have reached an agreement with unrestricted free agent Lance Thomas for the forward to return to New York, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (on Twitter). It will be a one-year, $1.6MM deal, Charania adds.
Thomas, 27, appeared in 40 games for New York last season, averaging 8.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 1.2 assists in 26.0 minutes per contest, with a slash line of .433/.333/.742. His career numbers through 168 NBA contests are 4.5 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 0.6 APG.
The forward brought energy and hustle to the Knicks last season, and will factor into the frontcourt mix for the team’s revamped roster, most likely as a reserve. The Spurs and Nets had also expressed interest in Thomas.
Pacific Notes: Hibbert, Young, Brown, Davis
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak said in an appearance on Time Warner Cable SportsNet that he had the Roy Hibbert trade lined up with the Pacers in advance of the start of free agency as a fallback in case the Lakers fell short with their primary free agent targets, notes Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan and Greg Monroe all passed on the purple-and-gold, so Hibbert it is for the Lakers, who made his acquisition the last of their moves under the cap. That’s key, since it meant that the trade wouldn’t otherwise work unless Hibbert agreed to waive part of his 15% trade kicker. He wouldn’t have been allowed to waive it unless the Lakers were in such a position, but they were, and he gave back all but $78,185 of what otherwise would have been $2.3MM, according to Pincus (Twitter links).
Here’s the latest from the Pacific Division:
- The 2018 first-round pick that the Kings owe the Sixers from this month’s three-player trade is protected only for the top 10 picks, according to salary cap expert Larry Coon (Twitter link). It’s unprotected for 2019. It’s possible that it’ll roll over to 2019 even if Sacramento’s pick ends up out of the top 10 in 2018 if the Kings have to send their 2017 first-rounder to the Bulls as part of a previous trade, Coon notes (on Twitter; also see RealGM).
- The 2020 second-round pick that the Suns will receive from the Pistons as part of the Marcus Morris trade is Detroit’s own selection, according to RealGM.
- Despite Nick Young reportedly being on the trading block, Kupchak said of the forward, “I do see him being a core player this year,” Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times tweets. The GM did stress that Young would need to show improvement on the defensive side of the game, Bresnahan adds.
- Lakers second round pick Anthony Brown‘s contract calls for him to earn $700k for the 2015/16 season, $875k the second year, and $1MM in 2017/18, Pincus relays (Twitter links). The first two years of the deal are fully guaranteed, but the final season is non-guaranteed, Pincus adds.
- Kings executive Vlade Divac said that Sacramento has had discussions with unrestricted free agent point guard Andre Miller, but the team is exploring numerous options, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee relays (Twitter link).
- Brandon Bass‘ free agent deal with the Lakers is for two years and $6.135MM, and includes a player option for the second season, note Pincus and Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter links). Bass was signed using available cap space, which means Los Angeles still retains its $2.8MM room exception, Bresnahan tweets.
- Kupchak said that if unrestricted free agent Ed Davis had waited one more day before signing a deal with the Blazers, the Lakers would have been able to re-sign him, Pincus tweets. Instead, Davis inked a three-year, $20MM pact with Portland.
- The Warriors are considering promoting assistant Luke Walton to replace Alvin Gentry as the associate head coach on Steve Kerr‘s staff, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Central Notes: Love, Bucks, Morris
New Pistons forward Marcus Morris wasn’t initially thrilled with the Suns for dealing him to Detroit, Perry A. Farrell of The Detroit Free Press writes. “I wouldn’t say stunning, but in Phoenix, I would say I didn’t have a great opportunity,” Morris said today. “I kind of wanted to play with my brother [twin Markieff Morris] so much that I kind of took away from myself. I didn’t think I had an opportunity to get better. I don’t think I had the chance to grow as a player over there. I think the opportunity is here for me. Everybody knew how bad I wanted to play with my brother. Phoenix knew. For them to trade me without consent or telling me was like a slap in the face, because of the contract I took from those guys and the money I took from them. I’m happy to be here. I’m a Piston. I’m a Bad Boy. I’m ready to get started.”
Here’s the latest from the Central Division:
- The future second-rounder going to Indiana in the Roy Hibbert trade is the Lakers’ 2019 pick, tweets salary cap expert Larry Coon. The Pacers also net a trade exception equivalent to Hibbert’s salary of more than $15.5MM, Coon points out, but that will vanish when Indiana’s deal with Monta Ellis becomes official, unless the Pacers can somehow turn the Ellis transaction into a sign-and-trade.
- The second-round pick heading from the Mavs to the Bucks in the Zaza Pachulia trade is Dallas’ 2018 selection, and it’s top-55 protected, according to RealGM. The same level of protection is on the 2020 second-rounder Milwaukee gets from the Wizards in the Jared Dudley deal, as RealGM also reveals. Both swaps produced trade exceptions, notes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). The Bucks get one worth $5.2MM from Pachulia and another for $4.25MM from Dudley.
- The salaries in Khris Middleton‘s five-year, $70MM deal with the Bucks fluctuate up and down from year to year, but the starting salary is $14.7MM, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Kevin Love indicated that he and LeBron James had what Love termed, “an honest talk,” prior to Love deciding to re-sign with the Cavaliers, Tom Withers of The Associated Press writes. “He happened to be in Los Angeles the same time I was,” Love said of James. “So, we just talked everything out and a lot of stuff was very honest and we came to a really good place and we agreed on a lot of things, so I think that was also a very big deal when you’re talking to the best player in the world.“
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Lakers Sign D’Angelo Russell, Larry Nance Jr.
The Lakers have signed first round draft picks D’Angelo Russell and Larry Nance Jr. to rookie scale deals, the team announced. Both players were inked in advance of their Summer League debuts this evening.
Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft, will likely receive a salary of more than $5.103MM this season and a total of approximately $23.017MM over the course of his four-year contract, as our salary chart for 2015 first-rounders shows. These figures presume he’ll get 120% of the scale amount, which is highly likely. The 19-year-old out of Ohio State appeared in 35 contests for the Buckeyes, averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 5.0 assists, with a shooting line of .449/.411/.756.
It was a bit of a surprise that Los Angeles selected Nance with the No. 27 overall pick this year. The forward has a solid NBA body and a high motor, but there were a number of higher rated players still available when Nance came off the board. The 22-year-old will likely earn $1,155,600 in the first year of the deal, and if he also inks an agreement for 120% of the rookie scale amount, he can expect to pull down $5,895,311 over the course of his pact. Nance averaged 16.1 PPG, 7.2 RPG, and 2.5 APG for Wyoming last season, with a slash line of .514/.333/.786.
Sixers Acquire Stauskas, Landry, Thompson
6:35pm: The Sixers and Kings have issued press releases announcing the trade is official. Philly gets Stauskas, Landry, Thompson, Sacramento’s 2018 first-round pick and the right to swap first-rounders in 2016 and 2017. Sacramento gets the rights to Gudaitis and Mitrovic.
“Jason, Carl and Nik are all tremendous professionals and we’re grateful for their contributions,” Kings president of basketball and franchise operations Vlade Divac said in Sacramento’s statement. “Jason leaves an indelible mark in Sacramento as the team’s alltime leader in games played, but he was also a champion in the community. Carl and Nik were well regarded as teammates and respected stewards of the organization during their time as Kings. We wish them all great success in the future.”
JULY 10TH, 11:48am: Neither team has made an official announcement, though the RealGM transactions log and salary cap expert Larry Coon (Twitter links) indicate the trade has indeed taken place. Sacramento creates trade exceptions equivalent to the salaries of Stauskas, Landry and Thompson, but those are poised to disappear once the team formalizes its free agent signings.
JULY 3RD, 11:35am: Executives around the league are talking about the notion that the Kings might back out of the deal now that they’ve missed on Ellis and Matthews, though none of those execs truly expect Sacramento to pull out, reports Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link).
JULY 2ND, 8:54am: A future second-round pick is also going to Sacramento, Wojnarowski writes in his full story. The Sixers receive Sacramento’s 2018 first-round pick and the right to swap first-rounders with the Kings in 2016 and 2017, a league source tells USA Today’s Derek Bodner (Twitter link). The overseas assets that the Kings receive are the rights to Arturas Gudaitis and Luka Mitrovic, the 47th and 60th picks, respectively, in last week’s draft, ESPN’s Pablo Torre tweets. Gudaitis just signed a two-year deal with an option for a third year with Lietuvos Rytas of Lithuania, the team announced (translation via Orazio Cauchi of Sportando). The Sixers are interested in keeping Landry, Thompson and Stauskas rather than waiving any of them, a source said to Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter).
10:56pm: The Sixers will receive a protected first round pick from the Kings, and swap rights with Sacramento in the first round of two other drafts, Zach Lowe of Grantland tweets.
JULY 1ST, 10:17pm: The Sixers and Kings have agreed to a deal that would send Jason Thompson, Carl Landry, and Nik Stauskas to Philadelphia, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter links). Philadelphia is expected to send Sacramento the rights to overseas players in return, notes Wojnarowski (on Twitter), though it is unclear which players will be involved.
The deal is a salary dump for Sacramento, tweets Wojnarowski, with the Kings clearing room for pursuing free agents. Thompson is set to earn $6,431,250 in 2015/16, Landry $6.5MM, and Stauskas $2,869,440. Sacramento is clearing the decks for a pursuit of point guard Rajon Rondo, swingman Wesley Matthews, and possibly Monta Ellis, the Yahoo! scribe adds (via Twitter).
Stauskas, 21, is the prize here for the Sixers, who were willing to absorb the contracts of Thompson and Landry to acquire him, Wojnarowski tweets. The young shooting guard failed to impress in Sacramento after being selected with the No. 8 overall pick back in the 2014 NBA Draft. In 73 appearances during his rookie campaign, Stauskas averaged 4.4 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.9 assists, with a slash line of .365/.322/.859. He should have every opportunity to develop on a young Sixers team badly in need of shooters.
Thompson still has two years remaining on his deal, though his salary of $6,825,000 for the 2016/17 campaign is partially guaranteed for just $2.65MM. In 81 contests last season, the 28-year-old averaged 6.1 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 1.0 assists in 24.6 minutes per game. Landry, 31, also has two years remaining on his contract, though both seasons are fully guaranteed. He logged 70 appearances last season for the Kings, posting 7.2 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 0.4 APG in 15.0 minutes per night.
Atlantic Notes: Larkin, Celtics, Blake
Shane Larkin, who recently inked a two-year, $3MM deal with the Nets, believes his career was stalled by the Knicks‘ triangle offense during the 2014/15 season, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “[The triangle] just wasn’t the best fit for me,” Larkin said. “It’s a good system but I’m a pick-and-roll point guard. That’s how I got in the NBA, playing pick-and-roll in college. That’s how I got here and now being back in a system where I can play the pick-and-roll and just getting in the lane, create for others, shoot my floater, and do a bunch of other things.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets still haven’t made a decision regarding whether the team will attempt to negotiate a buyout with point guard Steve Blake or keep him on the roster, Bondy adds. “I know we have a lot of guys at the point guard position. That’ll be resolved hopefully in the next month, eliminate, so hopefully we won’t have as many going to camp,” GM Billy King said.
- The Knicks signed Derrick Williams for less than initially thought, as he’ll get $8.8MM over two years, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Thaddeus Young has a 15% trade kicker in his deal with the Nets, Pincus relays (on Twitter).
- DeMarre Carroll‘s four-year deal with the Raptors comes to $58MM total, notes Pincus (Twitter link).
- The Celtics have officially renounced their rights to Shaquille O’Neal, Stephon Marbury, Michael Olowokandi, Michael Finley, Carlos Arroyo, Nenad Krstic, P.J. Brown, and Scot Pollard, which in turn removes their cap holds, Pincus notes (Twitter links). These moves drop Boston below the salary cap line for the first time in nearly 20 years, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. Boston also loses any form of Bird Rights to these players, though that is a mere formality since it is highly unlikely any of them would be suiting up for the team in the future.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Clippers Ink Paul Pierce
JULY 10TH, 6:02pm: The signing is official, the Clippers announced via a press release.
JULY 1ST, 6:16pm: The Clippers are set to sign veteran small forward Paul Pierce to a free agent deal, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register reports (Twitter link). Los Angeles is using the taxpayer’s mini-mid level exception to ink the veteran, and the deal is for three years, and approximately $10MM, including a team option for the third season, TNT’s David Aldridge relays (on Twitter). The Wizards made a push to re-sign Pierce, who reportedly enjoyed his time in Washington D.C., but the lure of playing for former coach Doc Rivers likely proved too strong, though that is merely my speculation. The Celtics, Pierce’s former team, were also reportedly in the mix for his services. Pierce will fill a major void at small forward for Los Angeles.
Pierce takes a paycut from the $5,543,725 he was set to earn in 2015/16 with the Wizards after opting out of his deal. He had been on the fence regarding returning for an 18th season. “I haven’t really thought about it,” Pierce said after the Wizards were eliminated from this season’s NBA playoffs. “I don’t even know if I am going to play basketball anymore. These seasons get harder and harder every year, every day. Summers get even harder when you start getting back in shape. I’m 37 years old. I’m top two or three oldest in the league.” Pierce had indicated that he would take some time and discuss the matter with his family before making his call on next season. “I have been playing this game [for] like 32 years. Since I was a little kid. Probably going to be the hardest thing to do is put the game down. But I know that time is coming one day. I am not sure if it is this year or next year. I will sit down with my family and figure things out,” Pierce said.
The 37-year-old enjoyed a solid campaign with Washington last season, appearing in 73 contests and averaging 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. His career numbers are 20.17 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.7 APG, and he owns a shooting line of .447/.371/.806.
Timberwolves Re-Sign Kevin Garnett
FRIDAY, 5:57pm: The signing is official, the Wolves announced.
5:03pm: Wolfson pegs the value of the deal at $16.5MM. Garnett, an Andy Miller client, negotiated it himself, Wolfson adds (Twitter link).
THURSDAY, 4:43pm: Garnett’s deal is for two years and $16MM, Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press tweets, confirming Zgoda’s estimate.
10:00am: It is indeed a two-year deal for Garnett, Wolfson tweets. It contains no options or non-guaranteed money, Wolfson adds (on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 8:28am: The Timberwolves and Kevin Garnett have reached a deal, as long expected, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). The numbers aren’t yet clear, but the team had reportedly planned to make him a two-year offer, and Garnett was likewise expected to take it. The 39-year-old will be coming back for his record-tying 21st season this year.
“I’m incredibly excited and rejuvenated to be a part of this talented, committed team,” Garnett said, according to Wolfson (Twitter link).
Injuries limited Garnett to just five games after the midseason trade that brought him back to Minnesota, the team that had originally drafted him, but coach/executive Flip Saunders has no regrets based on the veteran’s locker room presence for the young Timberwolves. He’ll rejoin a team that’s set to feature at least three rookies in No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns, No. 24 pick Tyus Jones, and draft-and-stash prospect Nemanja Bjelica, who reportedly agreed to a deal Monday.
Garnett made $12MM last season, though his declining production would suggest a pay cut is in order. Minnesota has his Bird Rights and thus the ability to pay him whatever is necessary, though Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune has estimated a deal would be worth about $8MM a year. That would fall roughly in line with what fellow venerable power forward Dirk Nowitzki agreed to take from the Mavericks last year, when he signed a three-year deal worth about $8.3MM a season.
Heat Re-Sign Dwyane Wade
JULY 9TH, 4:57pm: The deal is official, the Heat announced in a press release. “For over a decade, Dwyane has embodied what it means to wear the Miami Heat uniform,” said Riley. “He has been the pillar and constant of this organization, and is a true champion in every sense of the word. We are thrilled that Dwyane has re-signed and will lead us as we look to win another NBA Championship.”
JULY 2ND, 5:03pm: The Heat and Dwyane Wade have reached an agreement on a new contract, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports (Twitter link). It will be a one-year, $20MM arrangement, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays (on Twitter). The deal is less than the max, which for Wade would be roughly equivalent to 35% of the salary cap, likely at least $22MM, but it will be the highest annual salary of his career.
Wade released a statement regarding his return to Miami (h/t Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald). “It has been an honor and privilege to play with the Miami HEAT the past twelve years,” Wade said in the statement. “The Heat family and I have shared incredible moments over the years and I look forward to continuing our journey. I am extremely proud of my personal contributions in helping to build the Heat franchise and for bringing three NBA championship wins to our great city. For my entire NBA career, Miami has always been my city and my home. I’m overwhelmed with the love and support the Miami community have consistently shown me and my family throughout the years.”
Henry Thomas, Wade’s agent, had this to say about the deal: “This contract is a win-win for both Dwyane and the Heat. Not only does Dwyane get to extend his Hall of Fame-worthy career with the only franchise for whom he has ever played, but he will have the flexibility next summer to sign an additional deal. And the Heat gets to keep their franchise cornerstone while having the ability to build a championship-contending roster.”
The 33-year-old had opted out of his contract for 2015/16, which would have paid Wade $16.125MM. The Heat had reportedly preferred that Wade opt in and sign for $10MM salaries next summer. A friend of Wade’s had noted that the guard didn’t feel that the team regarded him as a priority. Team president Pat Riley spoke highly of Wade, saying in part that, “We love Dwyane. Dwyane is a pillar.” Now it would appear that the franchise icon will have the opportunity to finish his career in Miami.
Miami will use its Bird Rights on Wade to complete the deal, which is poised to send the Heat, who have also agreed to sign Goran Dragic for five years and $90MM, deep into luxury tax territory. The Heat entered July with about $53MM in guaranteed salary already on the books, with the tax line projected to come in at about $82MM. Heat president Pat Riley is scheduled to meet with LaMarcus Aldridge tonight, but without cap flexibility and likely without the capability of engineering a sign-and-trade, Wade’s deal only furthers the notion that Aldridge is a long shot to come to Miami.
Wade has been limited by injuries the past few seasons, and appeared in 62 games for Miami last season, averaging 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 31.8 minutes per contest. His career numbers through 781 regular season games are 24.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 5.9 APG, with a slash line of .490/.289/.765.
Heat Sign Amar’e Stoudemire
FRIDAY, 4:41pm: The Heat have officially signed Stoudemire, the team announced. It will be a one-year deal worth $1.5MM, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets. “We are very fortunate that a proven All-Star like Amar’e has chosen the Miami Heat,” said team president Pat Riley. “He is going to bring gravitas, leadership and a hardworking mentality to our team as we look to win another Championship in Miami.”
THURSDAY, 10:53pm: The Heat are believed to be close to a deal with Amar’e Stoudemire, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who cites sources (Twitter link). Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirmed through an associate of Stoudemire’s that it is indeed the case and that the 13-year veteran would like to play for the Heat, though that associate cautioned that a deal is not yet a given. The Happy Walters client won’t base his decision on money, Jackson hears, a plus for the Heat, who are limited to only their $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception and are poised to pay repeat-offender tax penalties this season unless they clear some of their salary commitments.
Stoudemire will meet with the Heat on Friday, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported (on Twitter), and team president Pat Riley will take part, Jackson notes. Several other teams have apparently been in the mix for the big man, as the Clippers, Rockets, Mavericks, Lakers and Suns all reportedly expressed interest in him as someone who could shore up their respective benches.
Stoudemire didn’t want to go to the Clippers unless he could start, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported, and it seems unlikely he’d start over Chris Bosh or Hassan Whiteside in Miami. Still, Stoudemire apparently had at least some level of mutual interest in the Clippers, as well as the Mavs, Lakers, Suns and Spurs. He was expected to speak with Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers this past weekend, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, who added the Pacers to the list of teams that Stoudemire was eyeing.