Atlantic Notes: Calderon, Jackson, Sullinger, Bennett
Former Knicks point guard Jose Calderon believes he would have been better off as a backup in New York, according to Marc Berman of The New York Post. Calderon, who will turn 35 in September, was shipped to the Bulls last month in the trade that brought back Derrick Rose. Calderon says team president Phil Jackson made the right move in acquiring Rose and thinks he would have performed better with fewer minutes. “Like I said, I was ready for a different role and I was ready for a different role the last couple of years,” Calderon said. “Maybe there wasn’t the player to put ahead of me. I always said I wasn’t the one putting me in the starting role or playing me 35 minutes. It could’ve been a guy like a Derrick Rose and I would’ve been the backup point guard. It’s a tough position to play. You have to know your strengths and weaknesses. I’ve been in the league 12 years and I know what I do best or not do as well. It’s nothing personal. It’s what the team needed. Hopefully it will work better.’’
Calderon, who was later traded from the Bulls to the Lakers, will get his wish to be a reserve in L.A., where he will back up second-year point guard D’Angelo Russell. Currently training for the Olympics with the Spanish National Team, Calderon has one year left on his contract at $7.6MM, and said he hopes to play three more seasons in the NBA.
There’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Jackson issued a challenge to his rebuilt team Thursday on social media, Berman writes in a separate piece. In a pair of tweets, Jackson wrote, “Here’s what: We have brought change to the Knicks team. The real dimension of change is how much the players what to unite in this change” and “It’s not about bonding and being friends, it’s about joining in the effort of playing HARD on every effort. #respect“ (Twitter links). Nine of the 14 players the Knicks currently have under contract weren’t with the team last season.
- The chance to win an NBA title meant more than money to Jared Sullinger when he chose the Raptors, writes Doug Smith of The Toronto Star. Sullinger, who became an unrestricted free agent this week when the Celtics pulled their qualifying offer, signed a one-year, $6MM deal with Toronto on Thursday. “Money is great but when it comes to certain situations, money can’t buy you happiness,” Sullinger said. “I think winning keeps you happy when you’re playing an 82-game season. I’ve been through a season where we lost a lot and it’s not a lot of fun.” The Raptors won 56 games this year and reached the Eastern Conference finals.
- The Nets will try to get more out of Anthony Bennett than he produced in his first three NBA stops, writes Bud Shaw of Cleveland.com. Shaw contends that former Cavaliers GM Chris Grant’s decision to take Bennett, who reached an agreement Thursday on a deal with Brooklyn, first overall in 2013 was the biggest mistake in the Cavs’ draft history.
Celtics Rumors: Griffin, Westbrook, Budinger
A Wednesday report from Howard Beck of Bleacher Report suggested that rival general managers around the NBA viewed the Celtics as the biggest threat to acquire Russell Westbrook. Those GMs also believed that Thunder GM Sam Presti would be inclined to move Westbrook sooner rather than later if Presti feels that the star point guard is likely to leave in free agency next summer.
As I pointed out when I passed along that report, however, there has been no indication yet that the Thunder are actively exploring a Westbrook deal. Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes today that Westbrook’s representatives haven’t received word of any trade talks, and they’d almost certainly be involved in that process — after all, any team acquiring the Thunder star would want to talk to his reps about whether he’d be willing to sign up for a long-term stay with that new team.
As Deveney notes, that doesn’t necessarily rule out an eventual Westbrook trade to Boston, but it probably means that the Celtics haven’t gotten serious about targeting him to this point.
Here’s more from Deveney on the Celtics:
- The consensus among front-office executives at the Summer League in Las Vegas is that the Celtics will attempt to make a major deal soon, says Deveney.
- Boston’s top trade target at this point appears to be Blake Griffin. According to Deveney, a three-way scenario has emerged that would involve the Celtics giving up picks in a deal to acquire Griffin, with the Kings getting involved and sending Rudy Gay to the Clippers. However, opposing front-office execs say the C’s are reluctant to give up their 2018 Nets first-round pick or their swap rights to Brooklyn’s 2017 pick.
- If the Clippers do move Griffin in a deal with the Celtics or another team, they’d want to land draft picks and a “frontline star” to keep them in contention, per Deveney. I’m not sure Gay would qualify as that sort of “star,” but perhaps Doc Rivers feels differently.
- According to Deveney, several front-office members around the NBA continue to bring up Kevin Love as a Celtics target, even though none of those execs believe that the Cavaliers will be inclined to move Love.
- Deveney adds (via Twitter) that the Celtics continue to look for shooting help, and have reached out to veteran free agent Chase Budinger.
- Meanwhile, Steve Bulpett of The Boston Herald hears from sources that, while the Celtics have expressed interest in Westbrook and Griffin in the past, there have been no recent trade discussions involving either player. However, he acknowledges that Boston remains “very much open” to a major deal, and says situations remain fluid.
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International Notes: Raduljica, Goudelock, Randolph
Serbian big man Miroslav Raduljica has officially inked a two-year deal with the Italian Club Olimpia Milano, Novosti.rs relays (Translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando), confirming an earlier report from international journalist David Pick. Raduljica last appeared in the NBA during the 2014/15 campaign, playing in five games for the Timberwolves and averaging 1.6 points and 1.0 rebound in 4.6 minutes per game. His shooting line was .375/.000/1.000. The big man reportedly turned down a minimum salary offer from the Wizards prior to heading overseas, according to Pick.
Here are a few more international notes:
- Point guard Andrew Goudelock has a contract offer on the table from the Turkish club Galatasaray, Pick reports (via Twitter). The Rockets had cut ties with Goudelock earlier this month, a move made in advance of August 1st, when his salary of $1,015,696 for 2016/17 would have become fully guaranteed. Goudelock appeared in just eight games after signing with the Rockets in March when he completed his season in China. He averaged 2.8 points and 0.5 assists in 6.3 minutes per outing, shooting .450/.111/.750 from the field.
- Former NBA player Anthony Randolph has signed with Spanish power Real Madrid, Pick reports (Twitter link). The 26-year-old last appeared in the NBA during the 2013/14 campaign when he played in 43 games for the Nuggets and averaged 4.8 points and 2.8 rebounds in 12.3 minutes.
- Former Hawks big man Gustavo Ayon has agreed to a three-year contract extension with Real Madrid, Euroleague.net reports. Ayon last appeared in the NBA during the 2012/13 season.
And-Ones: Ginobili, Beaubois, Arcidiacono
The Spurs‘ initial offer to unrestricted free agent Manu Ginobili was in the range of one-year, $3MM, but the team was forced to significantly increase its offer because of the Sixers, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (video link). Philadelphia offered Ginobili a two-year, fully guaranteed deal worth $16-$17MM in the first season, Wojnarowski notes. Sixers coach Brett Brown has an excellent relationship with the shooting guard dating back to his days as a Spurs assistant, the scribe adds.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Mavericks and unrestricted free agent point guard Rodrigue Beaubois continue to discuss a potential deal that would bring the former No. 25 overall pick back to Dallas, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). The 28-year-old last appeared in the NBA during the 2012/13 season when he played in 45 games for Dallas and averaged 4.0 points and 1.9 assists.
- Ryan Arcidiacono‘s multiyear deal with the Spurs includes a partial guarantee for $75K this season, plus includes a number of trigger dates for further guarantees, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (Twitter link).
- The Bulls and Mavericks have expressed interest in unrestricted free agent Thanasis Antetokounmpo, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders relays (on Twitter). The forward appeared in two games for the Knicks this past season.
Spurs Re-Sign Manu Ginobili
JULY 14, 5:41pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.
4:50pm: The Spurs and Ginobili have agreed to a one-year, $14MM deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets.
1:07pm: The Spurs and Ginobili are discussing a one-year deal in the $10MM range, according to ESPN’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). Ginobili figures to be one of the last deals the Spurs make official, since they’ll have to use up their cap room, then go over the cap (using his Bird rights) to re-sign him.
JULY 7: Early in the free agency period, Manu Ginobili announced his intention to play at least one more NBA season. And despite the fact that we’ve seen multiple star players leave their longtime franchises within the past few days, Ginobili won’t follow in their footsteps. The veteran guard tweeted this morning that he’ll be “coming back to the Spurs for another season.”
While no formal contract agreement is in place yet, agent Herb Rudoy expects to finalize one soon, telling Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News that a one-year deal could be completed by Friday or Saturday. “We are very close on terms and conditions,” Rudoy said. “It just needs some tweaks.”
While a return to San Antonio is imminent for Ginobili, Rudoy tells Orsborn that he turned down a “very serious, big offer” from another club on behalf of his client. “He was committed to coming back (to the Spurs),” Rudoy said. “Those were my marching orders.”
The Spurs hold Ginobili’s Bird rights, so the team can go over the cap to give him a raise, as long as his current cap hold doesn’t need to be renounced to create additional room.
Warriors, Anderson Varejao Nearing Agreement
The Warriors and unrestricted free agent Anderson Varejao are closing in an agreement that will keep the big man in Golden State, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). It will be a one-year deal for Varejao, Stein adds, though no mention was made regarding the amount of the proposed contract.
Varejao was signed by the Warriors last season after Portland waived him, which was shortly after Cleveland, trying to lower its luxury tax hit, dealt him to the Blazers. He didn’t see much action for Golden State after the trade, appearing in 22 games and averaging 2.6 points, 2.3 rebounds and 0.7 assists in 8.5 minutes per outing.
The 33-year-old has struggled with injuries the past few seasons, but does provide the team with a veteran presence off the bench. Coach Steve Kerr told reporters after Varejao was first acquired, “He’s a great insurance policy for us. It’s been good to get him minutes and get him some rhythm. He’s exactly who we were hoping for — a big who is smart, knows how to play and can fill in if we need him. We’ll see what happens in the playoffs with the rotation. But he’s got a lot of experience; we know he can play.”
Kings Claim Lamar Patterson Off Waivers
JULY 15th, 1:33pm: The move is official, the team announced.
JULY 14th, 4:31pm: The Kings have claimed Lamar Patterson off waivers from the Hawks, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (Twitter link). As a result, Sacramento will assume responsibility for the $874,636 he is due for 2016/17. Atlanta waived Patterson on Tuesday.
It’s a low-risk move for the Kings, as Patterson’s salary isn’t guaranteed. The team can get a look at the 24-year-old shooting guard during the preseason and not be responsible for any cash if he doesn’t pan out.
Patterson made 35 appearances for the Hawks this past season, averaging 2.4 points, 1.4 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 11.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .350/.245/.727.
Grizzlies Sign Mike Conley To Five-Year Deal
JULY 14th, 3:13pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
JULY 1st, 6:00pm: The Grizzlies and Mike Conley have agreed to a max contract that will pay the point guard $153MM over the next five seasons, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The deal will be the largest in league history.
Stein previously reported that Conley and the Grizzlies would have an agreement in place by Saturday morning. Memphis was Conley’s likely landing spot all along, but the point guard had concerns about the team’s roster and wanted to see the front office be aggressive in its attempts to upgrade it. The team’s chances of re-signing the 28-year-old likely increased as a result of signing Chandler Parsons, as the duo reportedly spoken to one another about teaming up in Memphis.
The Mavericks appeared to be Memphis’ biggest threat in the Conley sweepstakes, but after Hassan Whiteside re-signed with Miami, it seemed unlikely that the Ohio State product would wind up in Dallas. The Rockets, Pelicans, Nets and Lakers were also identified as challengers to steal Conley away from the Grizzlies. All five teams will have to look elsewhere for a point guard in free agency.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Spurs Sign Ryan Arcidiacono
JULY 14th, 3:10pm: The signing is official, the Spurs announced via press release.
JUNE 24th, 1:47pm: The Spurs have reached an agreement to sign Ryan Arcidiacono, a member of the NCAA-champion Villanova Wildcats, reports Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (via Twitter). It’s a partially-guaranteed deal, according to Wolfson. Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News tweets that it’s for two years.
Arcidiacono, 22, averaged 32.1 minutes in 40 contests during his senior year at Villanova, contributing 12.5 points, 4.2 assists, and 1.4 steals per game. He also shot nearly 40% on three-point attempts. Arcidiacono didn’t earn a spot among the top 100 prospects on DraftExpress.com’s big board, but placed 79th on Chad Ford’s top 100 at ESPN.com.
The Spurs only had one pick on Thursday night, but they used it to make one of the most widely-praised selections of the night, nabbing Dejounte Murray at No. 29. The pick earned San Antonio the only A-plus grade of the draft from Ford at ESPN.com.
With Murray on board, and Arcidiacono joining him, the Spurs are also expected to add a former first-round pick to their rookie class for 2016/17. According to a report from L’Equipe (via Antonis Stroggylakis of Eurohoops.net), San Antonio is poised to sign Livio Jean-Charles, the French forward selected by the team in the first round of the 2013 draft. The 22-year-old is reportedly set to leave ASVEL Basket, the French team owned by Tony Parker, in order to join Parker on the Spurs’ roster.
There have been no indications yet what sort of deal Jean-Charles will sign if he joins the Spurs this season. He could ink a rookie-scale contract, but because it has been three years since he was drafted, he’s not limited to that rookie scale — the club could also use cap space or an exception to sign him.