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Latest on Jrue Holiday

June 30th, 2017 at 10:03pm CST by Eddie Scarito

10:03pm: If Holiday leaves his meeting with the Pelicans without agreeing to a deal, the player will have a sit-down with the Knicks, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays (on Twitter).

9:26pm: Despite reports that the Pelicans are considered the front-runners to re-sign unrestricted free agent Jrue Holiday, the point guard intends to meet with the Pacers this weekend, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports (via Twitter). Holiday is expected to decide one way or another on New Orleans’ offer on Saturday, with an earlier report from TNT’s David Aldridge relaying that there are three other teams in serious pursuit of the 27-year-old. The scribe didn’t name the prospective suitors, so it is unclear if the Pacers were among those franchises he referred to.

It is also unclear if the reported bombshell trade of Paul George to the Thunder will make Indiana a less attractive destination now that the franchise appears to be in full rebuild mode. One would have to think that New Orleans is set up for more immediate success with Anthony Davis and DeMarcus Cousins on the roster, though, getting out of the brutal Western Conference may hold some appeal for Holiday.

If the Pelicans are unable to retain Holiday, it may be difficult to find an adequate replacement, since the club already has more than $85MM in guaranteed salaries on its books, reducing its cap flexibility. Holiday’s bond with the Pelicans is said to be strong after the way the organization supported him during a family crisis last fall.

Holiday appeared in 67 contests for the Pelicans this past season, averaging 15.4 points, 3.9 rebounds and 7.3 assists in 32.7 minutes per outing. His slash line was .454/.356/.708.

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Market Heating Up For Amir Johnson

June 30th, 2017 at 9:58pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Unrestricted free agent Amir Johnson isn’t likely to be re-signed by the Celtics, but the forward isn’t lacking for suitors. Per a report by Sean Deveney of The Sporting News, Johnson already has three meetings scheduled for tomorrow in Los Angeles. On Saturday’s agenda for Johnson will be sit-downs with the Bulls, Raptors and Rockets, per the scribe.

Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer adds a fourth team, the Sixers, to the mix. Johnson, a  12-year veteran, would provide a huge locker room presence and the veteran leadership Philly lost after waiving Gerald Henderson earlier today, Pompey notes.

The big man previously was a member of the Raptors from 2009/10 through 2014/15, and could be viewed as a cheaper alternative to Toronto re-signing Patrick Patterson. An earlier report by Deveney noted that their was “mutual interest” in a reunion between the two parties.

Johnson, 30, appeared in 80 games (77 starts) for the Celtics in 2016/17, averaging 6.5 PPG and 4.6 RPG with a .576/.409/.670 shooting line. The forward earned $12MM for his efforts last season in Beantown.

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West Notes: Cash Considerations, Dudley, Zhou

June 30th, 2017 at 9:55pm CST by Austin Kent

As the smoke clears from the chaos of the Chris Paul trade, details have emerged regarding the numerous side deals that went down in order for the Rockets to acquire the superstar point guard from the Clippers.

We broke down the math behind the trades but Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders has provided insight as to the exact financial details of the deals that brought players on non-guaranteed deals to the Rockets in exchange for cash considerations.

There’s more out of the Western Conference:

  • Veteran Suns forward Jared Dudley underwent surgery to repair a lingering toe issue and will be sidelined 3-4 months, ESPN relays.
  • Although he’s justifiably upset about the end of Lob City, Doc Rivers isn’t ready to give up competing for a title. “That part is over. And that bugs me,” Rivers told Ramona Shelburne of ESPN. “But we’re not done trying to reach our goal. Sometimes you gotta do it a different way. Because the way we tried to do it didn’t work.”
  • The Nuggets will get a good idea of where they stand in the eyes of free agents this summer, Chris Dempsey of  Altitude Sports writes. The scribe asks whether Nikola Jokic‘s breakout campaign will be enough of a foundation for the club to recruit off of.
  • The Rockets could look to sign Zhou Qi to a multiyear deal by using a portion of their mid-level exception, Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes, but they wouldn’t be opposed to siging him to a shorter deal if that meant landing another coveted free agent.
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Multiple Teams Show Interest In Randolph

June 30th, 2017 at 9:46pm CST by Austin Kent

9:46pm: Also interested in Randolph are the Cavaliers, Aldridge tweets. They’ll speak over the phone on Saturday.

8:14pm: Veteran big man Zach Randolph will meet with a host of teams in Los Angeles tonight, David Aldridge of TNT tweets. The Kings, Thunder and Clippers are all said to have an interest in the forward.

After a 2016/17 campaign in which he starred off the bench, Randolph’s role with Memphis appears to be dwindling. At the beginning of last season, his eighth with the Grizzlies, the club opted to start JaMychal Green ahead of him.

Still, despite the move to the bench, the soon-to-be 36-year-old remained productive, posting  Per 36 numbers of 20.7 points and 12.1 rebounds.

The veteran forward will have a number of options available, depending on how he plans to play out the twilight of his career. While the Grizzlies would almost certainly welcome him back in a small role at a reasonable price, he could also be coveted as a mentor for teams with young big men or as a valuable reserve piece for a contender.

 

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2017 Qualifying Offers Recap

June 30th, 2017 at 9:07pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Players eligible for restricted free agency don’t become restricted free agents simply by default. In order for a team to make a player a restricted free agent, a qualifying offer must be extended to him. The qualifying offer, which is essentially just a one-year contract offer, varies in amount depending on a player’s service time and previous contract status. A qualifying offer is designed to give a player’s current team the right of first refusal. Because the qualifying offer acts as the first formal contract offer a free agent receives, his team then receives the option to match any offer sheet the player signs with another club. You can read more about qualifying offers here.

If a player is not tendered a qualifying offer, he becomes an unrestricted free agent and is free to sign with any team that were to come calling with his previous squad unable to prevent such a transaction. Listed below is the complete list of players who were eligible to receive qualifying offers this season and whether or not one was tendered. Players are listed in alphabetical order by category:

Players Receiving Qualifying Offers

Players Not Receiving Qualifying Offers

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Bucks Notes: Horst, Ownership, Zanik, Ferry

June 30th, 2017 at 8:58pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bucks’ general manager search, conducted after John Hammond‘s departure for Orlando, appeared to take some unexpected twists and turns throughout the process — the club reportedly narrowed its options to three candidates, then opted to promote Jon Horst, who hadn’t been one of those three finalists.

In an interesting piece for ESPN.com, Brian Windhorst and Zach Lowe detail the machinations behind Horst’s promotion, which caught even Horst himself off guard. Sources tell Windhorst and Lowe that the GM job was already earmarked for him when he was called to New York to meet with team ownership, even before he knew he was viewed as a candidate. The Bucks then began planning Horst’s introductory news conference before he signed his deal.

Here are more of the highlights from ESPN’s report on the Bucks’ unique search:

  • Bucks assistant GM Justin Zanik, who has since left the organization, was considered Hammond’s successor when he joined the franchise and had built a good relationship with head coach Jason Kidd. Although his contract didn’t explicitly state he’d replace Hammond, his annual salary reflected an anticipated increase in his decision-making power, per ESPN. However, only two of Milwaukee’s three co-owners were on board with a promotion for Zanik — Wes Edens was the holdout, and wanted to conduct a full-fledged search, according to Windhorst and Lowe.
  • After going through their search process, Edens still wasn’t sold on Zanik. He was outnumbered 2-1 by co-owners Marc Lasry and Jamie Dinan, but Edens is technically the Bucks’ designated governor, which gives him unilateral power on all basketball-related decisions if he chooses to wield it, per ESPN.
  • The three co-owners had previously agreed to settle all decisions with a vote, but this situation revealed that Edens ultimately could have the final say, even if he was outnumbered. In two years, that will change, however — the Bucks’ ownership agreement calls for the governorship role to alternate between Edens and Lasry every five years, per ESPN.
  • With the search for a new GM having stalled, commissioner Adam Silver suggested the Bucks ought to consider Danny Ferry for the opening, according to ESPN. Milwaukee reached out to Ferry, but the two sides never had a formal meeting, with the Bucks’ co-owners opting instead to reach a compromise — they all liked and respected Horst, and brokered an agreement to promote him for the role.
  • Horst will be inexpensive compared to other general managers around the NBA. According to Windhorst and Lowe, his three-year deal starts at just $500K.
  • The Bucks continue to seek a veteran executive to complement Horst in the front office, though the three co-owners will likely all have to agree to move forward with a hire.
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Griffin Cancels Meetings With Suns, Nuggets

June 30th, 2017 at 8:23pm CST by Austin Kent

Not long after it was announced that Blake Griffin would meet with the Suns when free agency began, he canceled the meeting, Sam Amick of USA Today tweets.

The All-Star forward also cancelled a meeting with the Nuggets suggesting that, barring a mysterious unnamed club swooping in and luring the forward away, a return to the Clippers may be imminent.

That Griffin did in fact cancel meetings with both Phoenix and Denver has since been corroborated by Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times.

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Knicks, Rockets Discuss Anthony

June 30th, 2017 at 7:56pm CST by Austin Kent

The Rockets and Knicks have connected with regard to Carmelo Anthony, Ian Begley of ESPN writes, but the two parties haven’t gained traction on a possible deal. Per Begley, the Knicks aren’t exactly enamored with the idea of landing Ryan Anderson in exchange for the All-Star forward.

Commenting on the Begley tweet, Sean Deveney of the Sporting News posits that Houston could be banking on a buyout. The Rockets have, after all, made themselves considerably more appealing to Anthony now with the addition of his close friend Chris Paul.

Anthony has been the subject of trade rumors for over a year now but the recent shakeup in New York’s front office could potentially keep him within the organization. While Anthony’s no-trade clause puts him in the power position, a miserable relationship with former Knicks president Phil Jackson could have contributed to the forward being receptive to a move out of town.

The Cavaliers are another possible destination for Anthony, should the team ultimately decide to buy him out, something that at this point remains far from guaranteed.

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Wizards Offer John Wall Designated Veteran Extension

June 30th, 2017 at 7:42pm CST by Luke Adams

7:42pm: The Wizards have offered Wall a four-year contract extension projected to be worth $170MM, Brian Windhorst of ESPN writes but, as Bontemps suggested earlier today, the point guard isn’t expected to decide right away. He’ll decide over the next week after talking with his family. The deal would lock Wall in place until the 2022/23 campaign.

3:27pm: Wizards point guard John Wall is one of a small handful of players eligible for a Designated Veteran Extension this offseason, and Washington intends to offer him such an extension sometime after the new league year begins, reports Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. However, according to Bontemps, Wall may not accept the offer right away. As Bontemps details, Wall sounds prepared to wait and see what the Wizards do with their roster this summer before he commits to a new long-term deal with the team.

“I just want to kind of see what they do throughout free agency, talk to my family, talk to my agency and my managers and see what we want to do,” Wall told Bontemps on Monday. “It’s definitely a place I want to be … I’ve just got to make sure things are going in the right direction, and make sure we are building the team in the way we want to be, and don’t get locked up in a situation where you might not feel comfortable.

“But I love being in Washington, I love playing there, and there’s not another city I’d really want to play for.”

Wall still has two years left on his current deal, which pays him just over $18MM in 2017/18 and $19MM in ’18/19. A Designated Veteran Extension would go into effect for the 2019/20 season and would keep him locked up for an extra four years. It would start at 35% of the salary cap, which should fall somewhere between $35-40MM by the ’19/20 season.

That would be a massive payday for Wall, and I’d be surprised if he didn’t ultimately accept the offer by the start of the regular season, assuming Washington formally puts it on the table. Still, it’s worth keeping an eye on the Wizards’ offseason moves, and Wall’s reaction to them.

The star point guard said earlier this week that he would love to see the club add Paul George, since Wall views George as the type of player Washington needs to guard LeBron James and seriously compete in the East. If there are other teams in serious pursuit of George though, the Wizards likely won’t have the assets to outbid them.

Stephen Curry, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook will also be eligible for Designated Veteran Extensions this offseason.

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Knicks Believe Teague Has Committed To Wolves

June 30th, 2017 at 7:20pm CST by Austin Kent

According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, at least one front office believes Jeff Teague is so committed to the Timberwolves that it’s not worth pursuing a meeting. It’s been said that the Knicks have abandoned the idea of sitting down with the Pacers free agent altogether.

We wrote earlier about how Sam Amick of USA Today called Teague Minnesota’s “heavy, heavy favorite” target. Since that time, Chad Hartman of WCCO in Minneapolis has already gone so far as to say that the team and the point guard have a three-year deal in mind (via Dan Cook of WCCO).

While teams and players can’t officially negotiate until midnight EST, there has already been much speculation about who the Wolves will target now that they’ve sent Ricky Rubio to the Jazz.

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