Spurs Sign LaMarcus Aldridge
JULY 9TH, 2:39pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
JULY 4TH, 11:21am: The Spurs and unrestricted free agent LaMarcus Aldridge have reached an agreement that will bring the talented forward to San Antonio, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter links). The arrangement will be for four years, and approximately $80MM, Wojnarowski notes, almost assuredly a max deal. The pact also includes a player option for the final season, the Yahoo! scribe relays.
The deal between San Antonio and Aldridge brings his nine year career with the Trail Blazers to a close. The 29-year-old appeared in 71 games for Portland during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 23.4 points, 10.2 rebounds, and 1.7 assists in 35.4 minutes of action per contest. His shooting numbers last season were .466/.352/.845. Aldridge’s career numbers through 648 games, all with the Blazers, are 19.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 1.9 APG, with a slash line of .485/.276/.796.
The departure of Aldridge doesn’t come as surprise to the Blazers, who were informed by the forward on Friday night that he had narrowed his choices down to either the Spurs or the Suns, Wojnarowski tweets. A source told David Pick of Eurobasket.com as early as Wednesday that Aldridge would sign with the Spurs and turn down the hard-charging Suns (Twitter links), though he continued to take meetings in the days that followed. Aldridge had two sit-downs with the Lakers, and also met with the Heat, Rockets, Raptors, and Mavs during the free agent process. He cancelled a scheduled meeting with the Knicks, who never appeared to be serious contenders to land the big man.
Aldridge’s signing will have an impact outside of lining the forward’s pockets and giving the Spurs a new star to pair alongside Kawhi Leonard, who reached an agreement on a five year, estimated $90MM contract of his own with the team on Wednesday. Popovich, who has mulled calling it quits when Tim Duncan decides to hang up his sneakers and retire, is now looking to coach for the four remaining years on his contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. San Antonio is now aggressively pursuing unrestricted free agent David West as it reloads for 2015/16, tweets Wojnarowski.
Phoenix is likely heartbroken over missing out on the star forward, as it had reportedly made a strong impression on Aldridge, and he would have been the star the team so desperately seeks to acquire. The Suns would have instead focused on trying to convince Kevin Love to come to Arizona if Aldridge had simply stuck to his pledge of a year ago to re-sign with the Blazers, Jake Fischer of SI Now relays (via Twitter). Love has reportedly agreed to a five-year deal for about $110MM with Cleveland. While the agreement cannot be finalized until July 9th, it would indeed have been a shocking turn of events for Love to spurn the Cavs for the Suns, so Phoenix will have to settle for Tyson Chandler as its lone coup on the big man market.
Clippers Sign Wesley Johnson
THURSDAY, 2:35pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
TUESDAY, 2:16pm: Wesley Johnson is set to join the Clippers, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). It’ll be a minimum salary deal, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (on Twitter). Johnson was reportedly seeking a multiyear deal, having hit free agency three years in a row, but this is another one-year arrangement, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com identified the Clippers as an interested party back in May, and Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers met with the Octagon Sports client soon after the start of free agency last week, as Charania reported then.
Johnson wanted to return to the Lakers, but while the potential of the former fourth overall pick apparently intrigued the purple-and-gold, his inconsistency was an issue. The Clippers have $2.088MM left on their mid-level exception after agreeing to sign Paul Pierce, but it looks like they’re preserving that instead of using it on Johnson. He’ll make $1,100,602 as a five-year veteran, though the Clippers will only be responsible for $947,276, the equivalent of the two-year veteran’s minimum, since he’s on a one-year deal.
Lakers, Suns Talk To Cavs About Brendan Haywood
The Lakers and Suns are among the teams having discussions with the Cavs about trading for Brendan Haywood and his sizable non-guaranteed contract, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, writing for Amico Hoops. The Clippers are another, Amico writes, advancing earlier reports connecting the Cavs to Jamal Crawford. Cleveland had reportedly spoken a few days ago to the Nets about trading Haywood, and Anderson Varejao, to the Nets for Joe Johnson, but that conversation has since tailed off, and sources told Amico that Cleveland hasn’t offered Varejao to anyone in its most recent proposals. Haywood isn’t planning to retire if he’s waived, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: LeBron James To Re-Sign With Cavs]
Haywood’s contract, a vestige of the amnesty clause that’s worth a non-guaranteed $10,522,500 this coming season, has value to teams seeking to clear cap space or avoid luxury tax payments. Cleveland can use it in a trade that brings in as much as $5MM more, or $13,253,125 if that trade leaves the Cavs over the tax threshold. Those figures increase if Haywood is paired with someone else. Haywood’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster through August 1st, so Cleveland has some time, but a limited amount of it. The 35-year-old center saw only 119 total minutes of action this past season, and, according to Amico, many around the league believe he’ll retire if he’s waived in advance of that August deadline, as seems most likely.
The Lakers appear to be using a large chunk of their cap flexibility to trade for Roy Hibbert, though they may send some salary to Indiana. The major stars are off the market, but the acquisition of Haywood, if executed with sufficient time left before August 1st, would give the Lakers another trade chip. The same would be true for the Suns, who reportedly agreed to trade Marcus Morris and two others to the Pistons in an ill-fated effort to clear cap room for LaMarcus Aldridge. Phoenix is also reportedly shopping Markieff Morris.
It’s unclear exactly what the Cavs are looking for in return for Haywood, though Amico speculates that a wing player would fit the bill, which makes sense, given the rumors linking them to Johnson and Crawford. It appeared earlier that they were looking for either a facilitating guard or a scoring point guard, but that was before they struck a deal with Mo Williams.
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Clippers Re-Sign DeAndre Jordan
2:31pm: The deal is official, the Clippers announced via press release.
THURSDAY, 9:14am: The Clippers haven’t sent out a press release or formal announcement, but they did acknowledge the move on Twitter with a photo of Jordan and the words “We’re officially centered.” Jordan put pen to paper with Relativity Sports agent Jarinn Akana present, but not Fegan, his primary agent, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). The agency has yet to provide certification of the contract, Spears notes, so it can’t yet become official. Also present when Jordan signed the contract were Rivers, Paul, Griffin and Paul Pierce, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The Mavericks never got to meet with him face-to-face, as was supposed to have been the case, Shelburne adds (on Twitter). The deal contains a 15% trade kicker, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
11:21pm: Jordan’s deal is actually for four years, $87.6MM, with a player option after the third season, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register tweets (h/t to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders).
10:05pm: The deal is reportedly a five-year maximum salary contract in excess of $110MM, and includes a player option for the final season, Stein tweets.
9:47pm: In what turned out to be one of the more bizarre free agency dramas in recent memory, DeAndre Jordan has reversed course and has elected to re-sign with the Clippers, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). The center had reached a verbal agreement with the Mavericks last week, but changed his mind after having time to mull over his decision. The exact length and amount of the contract are unknown, but it is almost assuredly a maximum salary arrangement. The signing cannot become official until after midnight Eastern time this evening. Mavs team owner Mark Cuban has begun to notify people within the Dallas organization that Jordan is remaining in Los Angeles, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
The unusual circumstances surrounding Jordan’s free agency convinced Clippers officials that they needed to remain at Jordan’s side until he is formally able to put pen to paper on a new contract, given that Jordan had already changed his mind once during the process, Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com note. Sources informed the ESPN duo that Jordan, in a meeting today at his Houston home with several teammates and top Clippers officials, indicated to the team that he intended to renege on last Friday’s commitment to sign a four-year, $80-plus million max deal with the Mavericks and return to Los Angeles instead.
There were conflicting reports regarding Jordan’s agent, Dan Fegan, that he steered the center toward the Mavs because of the close relationship Fegan has with Cuban. One of Jordan’s reasons for wanting to leave Los Angeles was his desire to have an expanded offensive role. Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers reportedly informed Jordan that he wasn’t aware of the veteran’s desire for a larger role, and the Clippers offered to hire a big man coach and increase Jordan’s number of touches on the offensive end. Jordan was apparently tired of playing third wheel behind Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. The center also reportedly didn’t see eye-to-eye with Paul, though there were conflicting reports on just how much of a factor that was in Jordan’s initial willingness to leave Los Angeles.
Jordan made 82 appearances for the Clippers last season, averaging 11.5 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 34.4 minutes per game, with a slash line of .710/.250/.397. The big man’s numbers through seven NBA seasons are 8.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 1.7 BPG, with a shooting line of .664/.125/.417.
Kings, Mavs Interested In Josh Smith
The Kings have a “very strong” interest in Josh Smith, league sources tell Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links), and the Mavs are in play for him, too, as Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops hears (Twitter link). Still, while six teams have shown interest, “nothing of substance” is in the works for Smith, a source tells Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link), whose report came after the Mavs news but before the report on the Kings. Fischer last week reported that the Kings would soon begin talks with the client of Brian Dyke and Wallace Prather.
Smith has reportedly held mutual interest in re-signing with the Rockets, and he enjoys playing for Kevin McHale, notes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Still, the Rockets have only Non-Bird rights on the forward who signed at midseason, meaning they can only give him $2,492,400, a 20% raise on the $2.077MM he saw in 2014/15, without clearing cap space or raiding the mid-level exception.
The Clippers and Smith also reportedly had mutual interest, though that surfaced before DeAndre Jordan flipped from his decision to sign with the Mavs to recommit to the Clippers instead. Thus, the Clippers only have the minimum salary to offer. The Mavs have loads of cap room that they were to spend on Jordan, while the Kings have roughly $7MM in cap space.
Spurs Re-Sign Tim Duncan
The Spurs have formally re-signed Tim Duncan, the team announced. The sides had been working toward a two-year deal that would pay him $5MM this season with a player option for year two, as TNT’s David Aldridge reported.
Duncan last week confirmed his return for this coming season, which was reportedly in line with San Antonio’s expectation throughout the spring. Little, if any, doubt existed that he would re-sign with the Spurs as long as he indeed decided to play a 19th season in the NBA, but the question has been just how much of a discount the still-productive 39-year-old would give the team.
The Jim Tanner client made nearly $10.362MM this past season, but Aldridge’s report would indicate that his pay has been cut in half. The Spurs will open cap room to sign LaMarcus Aldridge and others, so a $5MM salary for Duncan would give him a lower cap hold and facilitate the addition of San Antonio’s newest star power forward. The $70MM salary cap, nearly $3MM higher than expected, will help, and it could mean Duncan gets a larger salary this season than he otherwise would have.
Hawks Re-Sign Paul Millsap
1:36pm: The deal is indeed official, the Hawks confirmed via press release.
JULY 9TH, 12:46pm: The team hasn’t made any formal announcement, but Millsap refers to it as official on his verified Twitter account.
JULY 1ST, 5:43pm: The Hawks and forward Paul Millsap have reached an agreement on a new contract, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The deal will be for three years, and approximately $58MM, with a player option included for the final season, TNT’s David Aldridge relays (on Twitter). Millsap also received interest from the Magic, who were the biggest threat to take Millsap away from Atlanta, as well as the Pacers, Mavericks, and Knicks.
Atlanta will presumably use cap space to ink the veteran and not his Early Bird rights. Millsap’s deal will pay him approximately $18.8 MM for the 2015/16 campaign, $19.646MM in 2016/17, and $20.492MM during the final season, which includes the previously mentioned player option, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets.
Millsap made 73 appearances for the Hawks last season, all as a starter, and averaged 16.7 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 3.1 assists in 32.7 minutes per contest. His career numbers through 687 games are 13.5 PPG, 7.3 RPG, and 2.0 APG, with a slash line of .503/.340/.728.
Knicks Acquire O’Quinn In Sign-And-Trade
JULY 9TH, 1:28pm: The deal is official, both teams announced. It’s O’Quinn to the Knicks, with cash and the option to switch second-rounders in 2019 to the Magic.
JULY 4TH, 6:04pm: The Knicks have agreed to acquire Kyle O’Quinn via sign-and-trade with the Magic, according to Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (Twitter link). The deal will be for $16MM over four years, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The contract contains an opt out after the third season, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Orlando will receive cash considerations as well as the rights to swap a second-round draft pick in 2019, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter link). The Magic had the right to match any offer sheet that O’Quinn signed since they extended a qualifying offer to the 25-year-old.
The big man averaged 5.8 points and 3.9 rebounds in 16.2 minutes per game with Orlando last season. Although he started his NBA career as a center, O’Quinn played over two-thirds of his minutes at the four spot last season, per Basketball Reference.
Warriors Re-Sign Draymond Green
JULY 9TH, 1:21pm: The team hasn’t sent out a formal announcement, but GM Bob Myers said today to reporters, including Diamond Leung of the Bay Area News Group, that the deal is official (Twitter link).
JULY 2ND, 8:40am: It’s $82MM, not $85MM, as Grantland’s Zach Lowe and Tim Kawakami of The Bay Area News Group report (Twitter links). Green gets $14.26M this coming season, $15.33M in 2016/17, $16.4M in 2017/18, $17.47M in 2018/19, and $18.54M in 2019/20, Kawakami tweets.
JULY 1ST, 9:59pm: The Warriors and Draymond Green have come to terms on a five-year, $85MM deal that will see the forward return to Golden State, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Green’s deal is for less than the maximum, which would have been five years, and approximately $91MM, but it’s nevertheless a major raise for a player who toiled away for the league minimum last season. The contract is fully guaranteed, and contains no options, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets.
The signing comes as no surprise, though talks had reportedly stalled earlier today. The B.J. Armstrong client was noted as being willing to take less than the max to stay with the Warriors and help the club keep its roster together, despite the interest from other teams. Both the Hawks and the Rockets were reported to be suitors for the bruising forward, though the opportunity to remain in Golden State and pursue another NBA title was likely too strong a pull for Green to ignore, regardless of dollar figures.
“Excited, thankful, and grateful to be back in the Bay. Thanks to Peter Gruber, Joe Lacob, Bob Myers, Rick Welts and the entire Warriors organization,” Green said in his official statement. “Thanks to coach Steve Kerr and staff for helping me become a better player, and thanks to my teammates for being great and accepting. I love the fans, thanks for being great, now let’s chase championships.”
Green appeared in 79 games for the Warriors last season, averaging 11.74 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 3.7 assists, with a slash line of .443/.337/.660. His career averages are 6.9 PPG, 5.5 RPG, and 2.1 APG, while shooting .412/.321/.685.
Cavs Re-Sign Iman Shumpert
JULY 9TH, 1:04pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
“Iman is a versatile, two-way player who embodies much of the grit, determination and defense-first mentality our group became identified by,” GM David Griffin said. “He is evolving as a playmaker on both ends and his impact on our group was enormous throughout our Finals run.”
JULY 1ST, 6:34pm: The Cavaliers and restricted free agent Iman Shumpert have agreed to a new contract, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). The deal will be for four years and $40MM, and the final season will include a player option, Kennedy relays. The Lakers, Raptors, Bucks, and Mavericks were all interested in the defensive specialist’s services.
Shumpert was acquired at midseason by the Cavaliers along with J.R. Smith, who opted out of his contract to become an unrestricted free agent this offseason. It’s unclear if Shumpert’s deal will mean that Smith is destined to play elsewhere in 2015/16, though LeBron James reportedly wants the Cavs to re-sign the guard, so one has to wonder if that could outweigh the team’s reservations about Smith.
The 25-year-old played well for the Cavaliers last season, appearing in 38 games, though only one as a starter. Shumpert notched averages of 7.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 1.5 assists, along with a slash line of .410/.338/.667.