Sixers Sign Jerryd Bayless To Three-Year Deal
JULY 13: Nearly two weeks after agreeing to sign him, the Sixers have made their deal with Bayless official, confirming it today in a press release.
JULY 1: The Sixers have reached an agreement on a multiyear deal with unrestricted free agent Jerryd Bayless, Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press reports (Twitter links). The guard will receive a three-year deal worth $27MM, the scribe adds. All three seasons of the pact are fully guaranteed.
The addition of Bayless is a solid one for the Sixers, who desperately need backcourt depth and outside shooting. Philly was reportedly seeking to add veterans to its roster this offseason, and with Bayless set to be in the fold, are off to a solid start in that department.
The 27-year-old appeared in 52 games for the Bucks this past season, including 18 contests as a starter. Bayless averaged 10.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.1 assists in 28.9 minutes per outing while shooting .423/.437/.778 from the field.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Sixers Sign Sergio Rodriguez
JULY 13: The Sixers have officially issued a press release to announce their deal with Rodriguez. Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reported on Tuesday that it’s worth $6.8MM over one year.
JULY 4: After striking a deal with Jerryd Bayless earlier in free agency, the Sixers have further fortified their backcourt by reaching an agreement with Spanish guard Sergio Rodriguez, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical. According to Charania, the Sixers and Rodriguez have agreed to a one-year, $8MM contract.
Rodriguez, 30, was a first-round pick back in 2006, but hasn’t appeared in an NBA game since the 2009/10 season, when he played a total of 66 games for the Kings and Knicks. Rodriguez previously spent time with the Trail Blazers, and appeared in a total of 285 regular-season NBA contests. However, he averaged just 13.2 minutes per game during his NBA career, and didn’t make much of an impact.
Over the last several seasons, Rodriguez has been a go-to contributor for Spain’s Real Madrid. In 27 Euroleague games during the 2015/16 season (23.4 MPG), Rodriguez averaged 10.9 points and 6.2 assists per game, while shooting 49.5% from the floor and 40.9% from three-point range.
The Nets had previously been dubbed the favorites to reach a deal with Rodriguez, but last Friday a report had indicated that an agreement between the two sides appeared “unlikely.”
Pelicans Waive Toney Douglas
The Pelicans have formally parted ways with point guard Toney Douglas, the team announced today in a press release. Assuming Douglas isn’t claimed later this week off waivers by another club, he’ll become an unrestricted free agent.
A former first-round pick, Douglas appeared in 61 games for the Pelicans in 2015/16, starting 18 of those contests. Averaging just over 20 minutes per game, Douglas recorded 8.7 PPG, 2.6 APG, and 2.3 RPG over the course of the year, making just under 40% of his three-pointers.
Despite his solid performance last season, Douglas became expendable this summer based on the Pelicans’ free agency additions. In addition to agreeing to bring back Tim Frazier, the team also worked out deals with Langston Galloway and E’Twaun Moore, creating a bit of a logjam in the backcourt.
[RELATED: Pelicans’ free agent signings via our Free Agent Tracker]
Douglas was also a candidate to be released because his salary for the 2016/17 season was fully non-guaranteed. Per Basketball Insiders, Douglas’ guarantee date was July 12, so despite the team not issuing an official announcement until today, the move was finalized before that Tuesday deadline.
Suns Not Re-Signing Ronnie Price
Free agent point guard Ronnie Price appears headed to a new team, according to John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7, who reports (via Twitter) that Price has agreed to a two-year deal with an NBA club. The identity of that mystery team isn’t yet known, but Gambadoro clarifies (via Twitter) that Price won’t be returning to the Suns, who previously had interest in the veteran guard on a one-year contract.
Price, 33, hasn’t played for the same team in consecutive seasons since spending four years in Utah from 2007/08 to 2010/11, so his departure from Phoenix doesn’t come as a shock. Still, he had expressed optimism back in April about remaining a Sun, and a report earlier this month indicated that he was still on the team’s radar.
In 2015/16, Price established a new career high for playing time, appearing in 62 games and earning more than 1,200 minutes for the Suns — it was the first time in his 11-year career that he had cracked the 1,000-minute mark. His numbers in those 62 appearances were modest, however. For the season, Price averaged 5.3 PPG and 2.4 APG to go along with a shooting line of .384/.347/.756.
With Price not returning to Phoenix, the Suns may be preparing for second-round pick Tyler Ulis to have a role backing up Eric Bledsoe. As the team’s depth chart shows, Leandro Barbosa and Brandon Knight are among the other guards on the roster capable of handling the ball, though they also figure to see time at the two.
Jimmy Butler Off Trade Market “For Now”
Although there was some speculation on draft night that teams like the Celtics and Timberwolves could eventually revisit their trade negotiations for Jimmy Butler, the Bulls’ All-Star is off the market “for now,” writes ESPN’s Zach Lowe in his round-up of free agency’s winners and losers.
Given the way Bulls general manager Gar Forman emphatically denied the Butler trade rumors in the wake of this year’s draft, Forman and company may argue that the standout wing was never on the trade block. However, multiple reports indicated that the Bulls were involved in trade discussions involving Butler and various top-five picks — the team was said to have been very high on Kris Dunn, who was ultimately selected fifth overall by the Wolves.
While the deal that sent Derrick Rose to the Knicks signaled that rebuilding efforts may be underway in Chicago, the club ultimately surrounded Butler with other veteran talent. Robin Lopez was one of the pieces the Bulls received in the Rose trade, and the team subsequently added Rajon Rondo and Dwyane Wade in free agency.
A lineup that features Rondo, Wade, and Butler looks somewhat unusual on paper, since all three players are at their best with the ball in their hands, and none are particularly strong outside shooters. So it’s possible that by the time the 2017 trade deadline rolls around, the Bulls will be more open to dealing Butler or one of those other veterans. For now though, it appears that the club wants to see what the current group can do under head coach Fred Hoiberg.
Contract Details: Plumlee, Rodriguez, Vasquez
Here’s the latest contract details and notes from around the league:
- The Knicks’ arrangement with Marshall Plumlee is for three years at the minimum salary, with 2016/17’s amount being fully guaranteed, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The pact also includes a partial guarantee of $100K for the 2017/18 campaign, Pincus adds.
- Sergio Rodriguez‘s one-year deal with the Sixers will pay him $6.8MM and is fully guaranteed, Pincus tweets. This amount differs from the $8MM salary that was initially reported.
- There are conflicting reports regarding the Hawks’ pact with combo guard Malcolm Delaney. Orazio Cauchi of Sportando notes that the deal is is worth $5MM over two years, while Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets that the pact is valued at $2.5MM over two years.
- The Pacers‘ deal with 2016 second-rounder Georges Niang is for three years and is worth $2.6MM, with his rookie season being fully guaranteed, with the second season partially guaranteed for $100K, Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports relays.
- Greivis Vasquez‘s reported deal with the Nets will be for one year and is worth approximately $5MM, Brian Lewis of The New York Post relays.
Atlantic Notes: Sullinger, Simmons, Thomas
Jared Sullinger‘s struggles with his weight and conditioning were the main reasons the Celtics allowed the forward to depart as a free agent after rescinding their qualifying offer to him, Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald writes. The big man accepts that he was at fault, according to David Falk, his agent, Murphy notes. “Jared understands that if he had controlled his situation better, his options would have been better,” Falk said. “What happened the last two weeks has been major wake-up call for him. He’s in the gym twice a day. He knows what he has to do. Jared acknowledges that he put himself in this situation, and he has to get himself out of it”
Falk also noted that Sullinger had received interest from a number of teams before he inked a one-year deal with the Raptors, calling Toronto the best fit, Murphy relays. “I’ve always advised my clients not to be a slave to money, and Jared had a deal for twice the money from another team, but it wouldn’t have been as qualitative a situation as going to Toronto,” said Falk. “We turned down an offer of over $10MM. But my feeling is that in this market, when you look at the deals that players like Bismack Biyombo signed, Jared is a $20MM player because of his skill. He was Boston’s best big last year – a regular double-double guy. But first he has to show people. As my dad used to say, [betting on yourself] is the ultimate acid test.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Sullinger wasn’t Toronto’s first choice, as the team was in advanced discussions with Pau Gasol, who signed with the Spurs, and the Raptors were prepared to trade Terrence Ross to clear the necessary cap space to ink the Spaniard, Josh Lewenberg of TSN.ca relays. Toronto then nearly reached an agreement with the Bulls to acquire Taj Gibson and Tony Snell, but the deal fell through after Dwyane Wade chose Chicago, the scribe adds.
- No. 1 overall pick Ben Simmons has performed well in summer league play, but if the talented forward is to reach his full potential, the Sixers will need to learn from past mistakes and surround him with solid outside shooters, Bob Cooney of The Philadelphia Inquirer opines. The scribe points to how the lack of such players has hampered the development of Nerlens Noel, pointing to the big man’s improvement once Ish Smith was added to the roster this past season.
- Isaiah Thomas‘ deal with the Celtics is an extremely team friendly one given the contracts handed out this summer, a fact that hasn’t escaped the point guard, who says he intends to cash in when he hits free agency in 2018, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. “They better bring out the Brinks truck,” quipped Thomas. “They’re paying everybody else. I gotta get something. I’m trying not to worry about it. It’s out there. I’m just being myself and play and hopefully that takes care of everything else.“
Western Notes: Green, Bourousis, Nuggets
Warriors forward Draymond Green was arrested over the weekend for an alleged assault, but his attorney stated that Green is completely innocent of any wrongdoing and that his client will be pleading innocent, Brendan F. Quinn of MLive.com relays. A spokesman for the East Lansing Police Department, which handled the arrest, told Ethan Sherwood Strauss of ESPN.com (ESPN Now link), “We are confirming that Draymond Green was arrested for assault in our downtown business district early Sunday morning at around 2:30AM. The victim was a male. It was basically an altercation between two guys. There’s no injuries. He was released with a $200 bond on Sunday. And he’s got 10 days to get arraigned and then prosecution will continue from there.”
The East Lansing PD spokesman also told Strauss (ESPN Now link), that the police were not summoned to the incident, but were already in the area and responded to the commotion. Here’s more from out West:
- All-Euroleague center Giannis Bourousis has reached a agreement with the Greek club Panathinaikos on a two-year contract, Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops reports. The big man reportedly had contract offers from the Clippers and Warriors, with the Spurs also expressing interest, Varlas adds.
- Given the Spurs‘ offseason moves thus far, it appears the team is preparing to increase the roles of Kyle Anderson and Jonathon Simmons, Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com relays. “This is a great experience for them. They get out on the court, and they’re going against quality competition in an organized setting. It’s not like you’re just playing pickup in the summer time,” assistant coach Becky Hammon said. “This is a great setting for them to be in situations like this. That’s how you build confidence in them, and that’s how coaches get confidence in them, too. If they see that putting Kyle in as a decision maker at the end of the game is a good option for us… there’s different things that we’re always trying to pick up, learn on and also stretch them mentally, and get them better as well as work on their individual game.“
- The Nuggets are a team rich with potential trade assets and Jonny Aupin of RealGM ran down a number of hypothetical swaps the team may explore this season.
Hawks Waive Lamar Patterson
7:56pm: Patterson has officially been waived, the team announced via press release.
4:53pm: The Hawks are cutting ties with Lamar Patterson and intend to waive the shooting guard, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (via Twitter). No official announcement has been made by the team at this time. As a result, Patterson will become an unrestricted free agent, provided he clears waivers.
The 24-year-old’s contract is non-guaranteed, so Atlanta won’t be on the hook for any of his $874,636 salary as a result of this move. Patterson’s deal wasn’t going to be guaranteed until January 10th, which is the league-wide date, meaning his release was not motivated by an impending deadline.
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.
Hawks Sign Dwight Howard To Three-Year Deal
JULY 12TH, 6:45pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. “We would like to welcome Dwight, and his family, home to Atlanta and into our Hawks basketball family. We feel Dwight will have a huge impact on both ends of the court with his physical presence and the force he brings to the game,” coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said. “We also look forward to his impact in our community as we all look to take Atlanta to another level on the court and off. We feel very fortunate to add a player of Dwight’s caliber and we look forward to assimilating Dwight into our team.”
JULY 1ST, 5:55pm: Howard’s three-year deal is fully guaranteed, with no option years, tweets Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. Spears adds that the Hawks increased their initial offer by about $7MM.
5:40pm: The Hawks and Dwight Howard have struck a deal, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have agreed to terms on a three-year contract. The pact will be worth $70.5MM, per Charania. It’s a homecoming for Howard, who was born and raised in Atlanta.
Howard, 30, met with the Hawks shortly after free agency began today, and multiple reports indicated that the team made a strong impression on him during that meeting. The former first overall pick was expected to meet with the Celtics and reportedly had interest from at least a couple other teams, but got an offer he liked from Atlanta and decided to take it.
Howard made 71 appearances for the Rockets in 2015/16, averaging 13.7 points, 11.8 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.63 blocks in 32.1 minutes per game. He shot 62% from the field, but just 48.9% from the free-throw line.
The eight-time All-Star declined his 2016/17 player option with the Rockets last month, opting to hit the open market instead of returning to Houston. Howard would have earned more than $23MM in 2016/17 if he had picked up the option, and essentially matched that yearly figure on his new deal — of course, Howard’s agreement with the Hawks will pay him that amount annually for the next three years, rather than just for one year.
The Hawks’ agreement with Howard doesn’t necessarily take the team out of the running for Al Horford. ESPN’s Marc Stein Stein first reported on Tuesday that Atlanta would seriously consider Howard as a free agent target if the team was unable to wedge its way into the Kevin Durant sweepstakes. According to Stein, the Hawks planned to go after Howard with the idea of playing him alongside Horford in their frontcourt.
Still, Horford is being heavily recruited by the Celtics and other clubs, and is expected to get a max deal, so he may land elsewhere. If Horford does leave Atlanta, Howard at least represents a viable replacement at center for the Hawks.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.