Spurs Sign Pau Gasol To Two-Year Deal
JULY 14, 10:34am: The Spurs have officially signed Gasol, the team confirmed today in a press release.
JULY 4, 1:48pm: While some contract details still have to be finalized, the Spurs and Gasol are in agreement, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter links). Gasol’s new two-year deal will be worth $30MM, with a player option for the second year, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein.
1:39pm: The Spurs are finalizing an agreement to bring aboard free agent big man Pau Gasol, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. While the Raptors, Trail Blazers, and Timberwolves had been among the teams in the hunt for Gasol, San Antonio was viewed as the frontrunner for the Spaniard after missing out on Kevin Durant.
Gasol, who signed with the Bulls in 2014, declined a third-year player option that would have paid him $7,769,520 in 2016/17 if he had opted into the final year of his previous contract. The former third overall pick continued to be productive during his time in Chicago, averaging 16.5 points and 8.9 rebounds per game last season, and earning All-Star nods in each of the last two years.
The Spurs have long been viewed as a potential fit for Gasol, one that even Pau’s brother has advocated for. Back in April, Marc Gasol advised his brother to sign with San Antonio. With Tim Duncan leaning strongly toward retirement, San Antonio reportedly pursued Pau heavily, making him a top priority when it became clear Durant wouldn’t become a Spur.
While San Antonio was aggressive in its pursuit of Gasol, the Spurs weren’t necessarily a slam-dunk choice. According to Wojnarowski, Pau may have received offers in the $20MM-per-year range from other suitors, including the Blazers.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Raptors Sign Jared Sullinger
JULY 14, 10:13am: The Raptors have officially confirmed their deal with Sullinger (Twitter link).
JULY 11, 1:52pm: It appears Jared Sullinger will remain in the Atlantic Division, with the big man tweeting out that he intends to join the Raptors. It will be a one-year deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical reports (via Twitter). The arrangement is worth approximately $6MM, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
The Celtics renounced their $4,433,683 qualifying offer to Sullinger on Sunday, making him an unrestricted free agent. Boston had limited playing time to offer the 6’9″ power forward after signing Al Horford in free agency and allowing Amir Johnson‘s $12MM deal to become guaranteed for next season. Sullinger met with Raptors GM Masai Ujiri on Sunday, Wojnarowski notes, which apparently went well, given the two sides struck a deal today.
Sullinger, 24, spent four years in Boston after the Celtics made him the No. 21 overall pick on the 2012 NBA Draft. He appeared in 81 games this past season, including 73 tip-offs as a starter, averaging 10.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 23.6 minutes per outing. The forward had a shooting line of .435/.282/.640.
Knicks Sign Maurice Ndour To Two-Year Deal
JULY 14, 8:54am: The Knicks have officially signed Ndour, the team announced today (via Twitter).
JULY 13, 12:27pm: Only the first year of Ndour’s deal with the Knicks will be fully guaranteed, a source tells Marc Berman of The New York Post.
11:12am: The Knicks have agreed to bring another player stateside from a European team, according to international basketball journalist David Pick, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has reached a two-year deal with Real Madrid forward Maurice Ndour. The pact, which figures to be for the minimum salary, will be guaranteed, per Pick.
Ndour went undrafted out of Ohio University in 2015, but he made a strong impression as a Knicks summer-leaguer last year, averaging 9.6 points and 4.8 rebounds in 23.4 minutes per contest across five appearances. The Knicks tried to get Ndour to back out of the commitment he made to the Mavs, who formally signed him about a week after his final summer league game, but were unable to convince him.
Ndour ultimately ended up being waived by Dallas and found his way to Real Madrid for the 2015/16 season. A year later, the Knicks finally have their man, adding him to a group of free agent signees that includes Lithuanian forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas. The club also locked up draft-and-stash prospect Willy Hernangomez, a Spanish center.
Since Kuzminskas got the Knicks’ room exception, and the team doesn’t have any cap room left, the minimum-salary exception is the only way New York can continue to add free agents. Ndour would earn $1,448,720 on a two-year, minimum-salary contract.
And-Ones: Raduljica, Canaan, Udrih, Bogut
Serbian big man Miroslav Raduljica turned down a minimum salary offer from the Wizards and is headed back overseas instead, international journalist David Pick reports (on Twitter). The 28-year-old has inked a a two-year deal with Olimpia Milano in Italy, Pick notes. 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.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Warriors gave Andrew Bogut the choice of being traded to the Mavs and the Rockets, with the big man ultimately deciding to go to Dallas, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link) relays. The Sixers also expressed interest, but Golden State wanted to deal Bogut to a team with more realistic playoff hopes than Philly, the scribe adds.
- The Wizards have invited forward Michael Eric to training camp, but that offer doesn’t include any salary, merely a shot at making the roster, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic.com relays (Twitter links). The 28-year-old spent last season with the Texas Legends, Dallas’ D-League affiliate.
- Isaiah Canaan, who agreed to a two-year deal with the Bulls, is thrilled to be joining the team and the opportunity it will provide, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays. “I’m just looking forward to another great opportunity,” Canaan said. “They got good veterans on the team with D-Wade [Dwyane Wade], Rajon Rondo and Jimmy Butler. So I’m looking forward to getting into the gym with them guys. It’s an up-and-coming team. They got Wade. Everybody knows how he is, a great all-star, been around the league for a while. And he’s back home with an up-and-coming talent like Jimmy Butler. It can’t get no better than that.”
- The Heat are still engaged in contract discussions with point guard Beno Udrih, according to his agent, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The possibility exists that Udrih could rejoin the team at the league minimum, but the veteran hasn’t made up his mind about what he wants to do, Jackson adds.
Nets Sign Luis Scola
JULY 13, 10:17pm: The Nets have issued a press release formally announcing that their deal with Scola is official.
JULY 12, 11:23am: Veteran big man Luis Scola has agreed to join the Nets on a one-year contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Terms of the deal aren’t yet known, but Brooklyn has plenty of cap room to spare after missing out on its top RFA targets, so Scola won’t necessarily be limited to minimum-salary or mid-level-exception money.
The Nets prioritized young backcourt players in free agency this summer, signing Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson to lucrative, long-term offer sheets. However, the Trail Blazers matched Brooklyn’s offer sheet for Crabbe, and the Heat matched Brooklyn’s offer sheet for Johnson, leaving the Nets with a huge chunk of cap room and a gaping hole in their backcourt.
[RELATED: Brooklyn Nets’ depth chart at RosterResource.com]
Scola shouldn’t take up too much of the team’s cap space, and he’ll provide depth in the frontcourt rather than at guard. Despite having turned 36 in April, the Argentinian power forward has managed to stay incredibly healthy over the last few years, missing just 15 total regular-season games since entering the NBA in 2007.
In 2015/16, his lone year with the Raptors, Scola started all 76 regular-season games he played for the Raptors, averaging 8.7 PPG, 4.7 RPG, and 0.9 APG, while shooting 40.4% on three-point attempts — 65 of the 75 three-pointers Scola has made in his career came last season.
The former second-round pick fell out of the Raptors’ rotation during the club’s playoff run, but he provided veteran leadership in Toronto last season, and should do the same in Brooklyn. He’ll join Jeremy Lin, Greivis Vasquez, Trevor Booker, and Justin Hamilton as incoming free agent additions for the Nets.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nets Sign Greivis Vasquez
JULY 13, 10:15pm: The Nets have officially signed Vasquez, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 10, 8:56pm: Greivis Vasquez has agreed to a one-year deal with the Nets, tweets The Vertical’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Vasquez missed most of the 2015/16 season after undergoing surgery on his right ankle in December.
Vasquez appeared in 29 games for the Bucks this year, all as a reserve. He averaged 5.7 points and 4.0 assists in 20.0 minutes of playing time. Vasquez has also been with the Grizzlies, Hornets, Kings and Raptors during his six seasons in the NBA.
He joins a Brooklyn team that also added point guard Jeremy Lin through free agency and may be seeking more backcourt help after offer sheets to Allen Crabbe and Tyler Johnson were matched earlier today.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blazers Re-Sign Allen Crabbe
JULY 13, 10:00pm: The signing is official, the Blazers announced. “Allen is an important part of the core of this team and a building block for its future growth,” said GM Neil Olshey.
JULY 10, 4:13pm: The Blazers have matched Allen Crabbe‘s four-year, $75MM offer sheet with the Nets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (on Twitter). Crabbe had signed the offer sheet on July 7th, and this was the final day the Blazers were able to match the deal.
Portland’s decision does not bold well for the Nets, who may also see their offer for Tyler Johnson matched by the Heat That would leave Brooklyn with plenty of salary room, but not many intriguing options. The Blazers, meanwhile, have made it clear that they are all-in for this season, as Wojnarowski tweets. Portland has added Evan Turner and Festus Ezeli while returning Meyers Leonard.
In Crabbe, the Blazers now return one of the team’s best shooters and defenders. The third-year shooting guard had a breakthrough season this year as a Trail Blazers reserve. He appeared in 81 games and averaged 10.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per night while shooting 39% from beyond the arc.
Western Notes: Crawford, Ellis, Durant
Jamal Crawford wanted to remain with the Clippers all along, saying Los Angeles feels like home to him, Rowan Kavner of NBA.com relays. “I’ve said it the whole time, I wanted to come back here,” Crawford said. “My wife, we’ve been together 10 years now, but we’ve been in one place the longest here, so this is where she kind of knows from a team aspect. This is kind of like our home as well.” Crawford also noted that the unity throughout the team separated the Clippers from other places in the NBA – from the front office down to the locker room, which is another reason he re-signed with the club, Kavner relays. “That’s kind of unusual in this business,” Crawford said. “I’m not saying everything’s perfect or we don’t have our ups and downs or see things from different points of view; but overall, it’s a family.”
Here’s more from out West:
- The Suns are closing in on hiring Ty Ellis as the head coach of their D-League affiliate, the Northern Arizona Suns, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (on Twitter). Ellis spent the 2015/16 campaign as an assistant on Phoenix’s D-League squad in Bakersfield.
- Nuggets assistant coach Ed Pinckney is no longer with the team, having resigned from his post, and Wes Unseld has been promoted to lead assistant, Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post relays (on Twitter). A team source disputes that Pinckney resigned, Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets, but that source did confirm that Pinckney was no longer with Denver.
- Small forward Kevin Durant signed with the Warriors this offseason to compete for an NBA title, but he’ll likely see his off the court earnings increase as a result of the move, Sean Deveney of The Sporting News writes. “It’s a huge move for Kevin,” said Eric Schiffer, CEO of Patriarch Organization and the chairman of ReputationManagementConsultants.com. “It’s going to be amazing for him from a financial standpoint. I think he is going to give LeBron James a run for his money there once he gets into the Bay Area. It gives him an almost unfair advantage in terms of marketing. It gives advertisers and brands who want to align with greatness further reason to invest. It’s going to be an economic earthquake. He can really change things there.”
Southwest Notes: Duncan, Finch, Grizzlies
Newly retired Tim Duncan penned a letter, which was posted to the Spurs‘ official website, expressing his gratitude for how teammates, opponents and fans treated him during his storied career. “If asked to write a script for my career 19 years ago, there is no way I would’ve been able to dream up this journey,” Duncan wrote. “I stand here at the end of this ride and look back in awe of what I’ve experienced. The wins and losses will be remembered, but what I’ll remember most are the people:
The fans inside the arena and out, the staff and coaches who pushed me and held me together, the teammates [and even opponents] who will be lifelong friends, sharing my ups and downs with family and close friends, and, most importantly, the snapshots of my kids growing up and reveling in watching Dad work. That is what I will cherish most. Thank you to the city of San Antonio for the love and the support over these years. Thank you to the fans all over the world.”
A true class act in every sense of the word, Duncan’s presence will certainly be missed this season. Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- The Rockets and assistant coach Chris Finch have parted ways, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com relays (Twitter links). Finch is highly regarded around the league and should be on numerous teams’ coaching radar for future openings, Lowe adds.
- One of Grizzlies coach David Fizdale‘s first tasks will be to sort out the team’s backup point guard situation, with a number of inexperienced players likely to play major roles this season, Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes. Speaking about Wade Baldwin and Andrew Harrison, two players expected to compete for the right to be Mike Conley‘s backup, Fizdale told Tillery, “All I know is that I’m going to let those guys play with a lot of freedom. I’m going to try to put them in situations to be successful. We’re going to trust them. There’s a chance for both of those guys to play for me during the year. I’m going to make sure they are very comfortable, very confident and that they have a lot of clarity. Let’s see what happens.“
Magic To Waive Devyn Marble
The Magic plan to waive Devyn Marble prior to his 2016/17 salary becoming fully guaranteed, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel reports. Orlando has until Friday to part ways with the swingman, or else the team will be on the hook for the $980,431 he is due for next season.
Orlando currently has 13 players under contract, including Marble, two under the regular season maximum and seven beneath the preseason limit. The team could still re-sign Marble at a later date, if it desired, provided he clears waivers.
Marble appeared in 28 games for the Magic this past season and averaged 2.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.4 assists in 8.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .296/.250/.417.