Grizzlies Sign Tyreke Evans To One-Year Deal
JULY 10: The Grizzlies have officially signed Evans, per the NBA’s transactions log. As confirmed by Chris Herrington of The Commercial Appeal (Twitter link), Memphis is using its bi-annual exception to complete the signing. That means the Grizzlies have a hard cap this year and won’t be able to use the BAE next year.
JULY 7: The Grizzlies have agreed to a one-year, $3.3MM deal with Tyreke Evans, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link).
[RELATED: 2017 NBA Free Agent Tracker]
The move represents a homecoming of sorts for Evans, who played his college ball at the University of Memphis before being selected fourth overall in the 2009 draft. After spending several years with the Kings, Evans joined the Pelicans in 2013 and eventually returned to Sacramento earlier this year as part of February’s DeMarcus Cousins trade.
Evans, 27, is coming off the least productive season of his NBA career. In addition to being limited to 40 games due to health problems, the veteran guard averaged career lows across the board, including in PPG (10.3), APG (3.1), and FG% (.405). One silver lining for Evans? He has made 36.9% of his three-point attempts over the last two seasons after making just 27.8% in his first six seasons.
Based on the reported terms of Evans’ deal, it sounds like the Grizzlies will complete the signing using the bi-annual exception, which is worth $3.29MM. The team also has more than $3MM of its mid-level exception left over after committing a chunk of it to Ben McLemore, so it’s possible that Evans’ contract will be worth the remainder of the MLE. Either way, Memphis would be hard-capped at $125.66MM for the 2017/18 league year. Unless JaMychal Green receives a mammoth offer sheet, that hard cap shouldn’t have an impact on the Grizzlies’ ability to retain the RFA power forward.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NBA Teams With Cap Room Remaining
We’re only on the 10th day of the NBA league year, but already, the number of teams with cap room still available is dwindling.
Clubs without cap room remaining could create space at some point — the Knicks, for instance, used the last of their cap room to finalize Tim Hardaway‘s offer sheet, but may try to clear salary by trading Carmelo Anthony and/or Courtney Lee. For now though, only a handful of teams have a useful amount of cap space left.
Those teams with cap room are listed below, along with an informal breakdown of what their situation looks like. Many deals haven’t yet been finalized, so these figures our based on our projections, with the help of information from Basketball Insiders and HeatHoops.
Teams with cap room remaining:
- Atlanta Hawks: With agreed-upon deals for Mike Muscala and Tyler Dorsey not yet official, the Hawks retain about $18-19MM in cap room. And that’s not counting whatever amount of money Jamal Crawford was willing to give up in his buyout, so that figure may creep a little higher.
- Brooklyn Nets: The Nets remain in a holding pattern with Otto Porter, but after he officially moves over to the Wizards’ books and Brooklyn completes its trade for DeMarre Carroll, the team should have about $16-17MM in cap room. The Nets could create a little more space by waiving one or more non-guaranteed players.
- Denver Nuggets: Once the Nuggets’ signing of Paul Millsap becomes official, the team won’t have much cap flexibility left, though that could change if Mike Miller is waived and/or Mason Plumlee is renounced. If both of those players remain on the cap, Denver will only have about $2MM in room. If they move on from both players, the Nuggets could get up to about $11MM+ in space.
- Indiana Pacers: Assuming the Pacers stretch Monta Ellis‘ salary, as has been reported, they should have in the neighborhood of $7-8MM in remaining cap room, even after finalizing the acquisitions of Darren Collison, Bojan Bogdanovic, and Cory Joseph.
- Los Angeles Lakers: The Lakers have approximately $17MM in cap room left, though they’d have to renounce their remaining unrestricted free agents to make use of all that space.
- Orlando Magic: The Magic could have retained their exceptions and cap holds and stayed over the cap, but it looks like they’re operating under the cap, signing Shelvin Mack with room instead of the mid-level exception. Orlando doesn’t have much space available, but could get up to $8MM+ in room by waiving C.J. Watson, and could increase that number a little more by cutting other non-guaranteed players.
- Philadelphia 76ers: The Sixers’ remaining cap room will depend on the exact numbers for J.J. Redick and Amir Johnson, but it figures to be in the neighborhood of $16-17MM.
- Phoenix Suns: Alex Len‘s $12MM+ cap hold is a significant factor in the Suns’ remaining cap room. If they were to renounce Len, the Suns could get up to about $23MM in room, with the ability to create even more by waiving non-guaranteed contracts. However, if they keep Len on the books, Phoenix’s cap room is below $11MM, and will be reduced further when Alan Williams‘ new deal becomes official.
- Sacramento Kings: Deals for George Hill, Zach Randolph, Vince Carter, and Bogdan Bogdanovic will use up most of the Kings’ space, but the team should still have room in the $8-10MM range after those signings become official.
Teams that went under the cap, but have used all (or virtually all) of their room:
- Boston Celtics
- Miami Heat
- Minnesota Timberwolves
- New York Knicks
These teams went below the cap this summer to accommodate big-money moves. In some cases, those deals aren’t yet official, but when they’re finalized, they’ll eliminate any cap room these teams have left. A couple of these clubs have already committed their room exception to certain players, with the Celtics on track to sign Aron Baynes and the Wolves lining up a deal with Jamal Crawford.
Teams that are operating over the cap, but could create some cap room:
- Chicago Bulls
- Dallas Mavericks
- Utah Jazz
These teams are currently operating as over-the-cap clubs in order to retain their full mid-level, bi-annual, and trade exceptions, but there could be scenarios in which it makes more sense to renounce those exceptions and dip below the cap.
In the Bulls’ and Mavs’ cases, it would likely only happen if they don’t retain top RFAs (Nikola Mirotic and Nerlens Noel, respectively). Meanwhile, the Jazz could only create up to about $12MM in room if they were to waive their non-guaranteed contracts and wait to sign Joe Ingles.
Note: Items on Indiana Pacers and Orlando Magic were edited after publication to adjust figures.
Atlantic Notes: Covington, Knicks, Raptors, Nets
Sixers swingman Robert Covington has new representation, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal, who reports (via Twitter) that Leon Rose and Drew Morrison of CAA Sports are Covington’s new agents. Covington, who was previously represented by Happy Walters, is finally nearing a significant payday after having been one of the NBA’s biggest bargains for the last couple seasons. If the Sixers don’t renegotiate and extend Covington’s deal this year, he’ll be eligible for unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2018.
Here’s more from around the Atlantic:
- Knicks general manager Steve Mills has thrown Phil Jackson‘s triangle “in the trash” and is giving head coach Jeff Hornacek full autonomy to run the team’s offense, tweets Marc Berman of The New York Post. While giving Hornacek more freedom to operate looks like a positive sign, Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post believes the Knicks took a step forward and then two steps back by turning basketball decisions over to Mills after Jackson’s departure.
- Moving DeMarre Carroll and Cory Joseph will give the Raptors a little more flexibility to maneuver, but the club still has holes to fill on its roster, including at the power forward spot, writes Sportsnet’s Michael Grange.
- Sixers head coach Brett Brown is a significant reason why J.J. Redick ultimately decided to sign with the team, as Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer details. “He is someone I have watched and I’ve wanted to play for,” Redick said of Brown. “I’m thrilled to be playing for him next year. For me personally, that was the biggest thing.”
- Net Income of NetsDaily takes a look at how the Nets might use – or not use – their remaining cap room.
Hoiberg, Bulls Not Expecting Dwyane Wade Buyout
Shortly after Dwyane Wade committed to picking up his $23.8MM option for the 2017/18 season, the Bulls decided to rebuild their roster, trading Jimmy Butler and cutting Rajon Rondo. While Wade is the last player standing out of Chicago’s “three alphas” from last season, no buyout is imminent, and head coach Fred Hoiberg doesn’t believe one is coming, writes Nick Friedell of ESPN.com.
“As of right now, no. I don’t see that,” Hoiberg said of a possible Wade buyout.
Hoiberg’s stance on the matter echoes that of executive VP John Paxson, who addressed the issue in a press conference last month when the team introduced its newly-acquired players from the Butler deal. Asked about a buyout, Paxson said that any arrangement with Wade “would absolutely have to benefit” the franchise.
As Friedell notes, there’s a “widespread belief” among team officials that Wade won’t be willing to give up enough of his $23.8MM salary to make a move worthwhile for the Bulls. It’s possible that the two sides explore that possibility later in the offseason, or after February’s trade deadline, but Hoiberg indicated he’d like to see Wade stick around and provide veteran leadership for a team that has gotten younger this offseason.
“Dwyane, he’s going to have an important role on this team as a mentor,” Hoiberg said. “He’s going to obviously play for us and hopefully play well. And take the role of leadership; it’s going to be very important with him.”
Northwest Notes: George, Patterson, Gobert
Make no mistake, Oklahoma City’s one mission this season is to convince Paul George to remain with the Thunder once he hits free agency next summer. But what, Erik Horne of The Oklahoman asks, does the All-Star forward want?
George and his representation have been nothing if not forthright about the 27-year-old’s desire to sign with the Lakers in the summer of 2018 but he still has a season under contract and a fresh, new change of scenery to enjoy with the Thunder until that time comes.
If George truly wants to play for a winner, the Thunder have a legitimate chance of positioning themselves as the better option than the Lakers, Horne writes. Oklahoma City has, after all, been competitive for the past five years while the Lakers have toiled in mediocrity.
The question is whether playing for a winner will ever actually trump George’s desire to return to his home state.
There’s more from the Northwest Division:
- The move to sign Patrick Patterson will help the Thunder on the defensive end, the forward’s former coach Kevin McHale told The Oklahoman. He says Patterson is the type of player that excels at all the little parts of the game.
- With Gordon Hayward on his way to the Celtics, it’s become clear that Rudy Gobert may have been the leader of the Jazz all along, Brad Rock of The Deseret News writes. The big man has long been more charismatic and vocal than his Beantown-bound counterpart.
- The move that sent Avery Bradley from the Celtics to the Pistons has all but extinguished any hopes the Jazz had of pulling off a sign-and-trade connected to Gordon Hayward’s move to Boston, Jody Genessey of The Deseret News writes.
- The Timberwolves saw an opportunity and seized it this offseason, bringing Jeff Teague into the fold at the expense of long-time point guard Ricky Rubio. “Ricky did a good job here; we’re happy for him,” Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau told the media, including Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune. “We wish him well. He made a number of contributions to our team, our organization and community and we certainly appreciate that. For us where we are now, we have to get out of this hole and we felt we had an opportunity to improve our team, and that’s why we did what we did.”
- An additional benefit the Timberwolves will enjoy after bringing Jimmy Butler aboard will be his contributions as a recruiter, Vincent Goodwill of CSN Chicago writes.
- No team in the NBA shot worse when wide open beyond the arc than the Thunder did last season, that should change after the club welcomes Paul George and Patrick Patterson to its lineup, Brett Dawson of The Oklahoman writes.
Pacific Notes: Gallinari, Randolph, Ingram
Expect the system the Clippers have in place to complement the skills of newly acquired Danilo Gallinari, Tyler Blint-Welsh of the Los Angeles Times writes.
“One of the reasons I chose [the Clippers] is because of the team that we have,” he said. “So I have no doubt that I’m gonna fit in.”
The versatility that Gallinari brings to the franchise will help the squad play positionelss basketball, something ever more important in today’s evolving NBA. Having such options on the perimeter should make life easier for Clippers big men Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan in the post.
There’s more from the Pacific Division:
- The Lakers shut Brandon Ingram down for the Summer League as a precautionary measure, Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News writes. The second-year forward gave his team a scare when he suffered a cramp in his leg toward the end of Friday’s Vegas league contest but the injury is minor.
- When the Kings added Zach Randolph they added the type of veteran that will benefit their young players. Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee interviewed Randolph’s former coach with the Grizzlies about what he brings on and off the court. “This is a process,” Lionel Hollins said, “And the process is enhanced by the quality of your veterans. You can’t have guys who sit on the bench, get paid and don’t help their young teammates. You have to have the right veterans because that will help the young players move up faster. So the young kids better come ready out there, because Zach is going to teach them how to be tougher, more physical and professional.“
- The decision that Kevin Durant made to take less money that what he was eligible for allowed the Warriors to retain their core and club general manager Bob Meyers is quick to applaud him for the gesture. “I can pretty much unequivocally say without it, we’re not looking at the team we have right now. What Kevin did shows who he is, shows what he’s about and I think it’s clear that that’s winning,” Myers told the Associated Press.
Free Agent Rumors: Afflalo, Timberwolves, Yanyuhang
Veteran swingman Arron Afflalo has remained on vine through the first week of free agency but TNTs David Aldridge suspects that he’ll be picked up soon.
The 31-year-old was waived by the Kings last month after putting up 8.4 points per game in his 10th pro season. In the right situation, Afflalo could be a valuable defensive presence out on the perimeter. In Sacramento he was an established, veteran piece on a team that hit the rebuild button part-way through the regular season.
Aldridge notes that the Timberwolves took a good look at him prior to signing Jamal Crawford, a testament to his value as a 3-and-D option for teams in win now mode.
There’s more free agency buzz from around the league:
- The Timberwolves will look to add three more players before the end of the offseason, Jeff Zgoda of the Star Tribune tweets. Most likely a pair of wings and a point guard.
- Veteran Metta World Peace feels that he has a few more years left in the tank, David Yapkowitz of Basketball Insiders writes, noting that the forward views himself as a valuable teacher for the younger generation of NBA players.
- A candidate for the Mavs‘ second two-way contract is Chinese league MVP Ding Yanyuhang, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News writes. In May we wrote about Mavs president Donnie Nelson‘s interest in the international prospect.
Celtics Notes: Crowder, Morris, Thomas
The Celtics landed Gordon Hayward and Marcus Morris this week but the reigning Eastern Conference No. 1 seed isn’t comfortable yet.
Per a CSN New England report, president Danny Ainge is searching for further moves that can improve their roster this offseason. It’s just a matter of figuring out what those moves might look like.
Initially the report speculated that Ainge could be targeting rebounding, something the Celtics lacked in 2016/17, but the executive noted that he feels young forwards Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum could help in that regard.
Another area that Boston could address is their backup point guard position. That said, the team president also mentioned that he was currently impressed with backup point guard Terry Rozier.
There’s more from Beantown:
- The Celtics have no intention of trading Jae Crowder, Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe tweets. The forward had been floated as a possible component of a sign-and-trade deal to bring Gordon Hayward to Boston prior to the Avery Bradley deal.
- Veteran point guard Isaiah Thomas told CSN New England’s A. Sherrod Blakely that he believes he’s a max contract guy and that the Celtics are aware that they’ll need to bring the Brinks trucks out to retain his services when he becomes a free agent next summer.
- Newly added Celtics forward Marcus Morris comes with legal baggage and a CSN New England report breaks down the pending trial that will begin on August 21.
- The Celtics wouldn’t have had enough Brinks trucks to retain both Avery Bradley and Isaiah Thomas, Chris Forsberg of ESPN writes, a harsh reality that led to the trade that sent Bradley to the Pistons.
Central Notes: Pistons, Felder, Mirotic
There’s little doubt that the Pistons will benefit in the short-term from bringing Avery Bradley in as a replacement for the much costlier Kentavious Caldwell-Pope but make no mistake, Bob Wojnowski of the Detroit News writes, they’re taking a big risk.
While Bradley is further along in his development as a perimeter stopper and boasts a more capable offensive game, the Pistons gave up considerable long-term security knowing that Bradley will hit the market as an unrestricted free agent next summer.
Essentially, Wojnowski adds, the Pistons were ready to shake things up and move on from the 24-year-old Caldwell-Pope but in doing so expose themselves to a greater threat of ultimately losing Bradley for nothing. Considering the upside after a stagnant 2016/17, it’s a gamble that a team in Detroit’s position couldn’t turn down.
There’s more from the Central Division:
- The Cavaliers have brought in Jose Calderon to man their backup point guard position but that doesn’t mean Kay Felder is entirely out of the running, Joe Vardon of Cleveland.com writes. “Whoever plays the best will play,” Cavs coach Tyronn Lue said. “It’s not like Kay is out of it. He’s just got to continue to grow, get better, and he’s going to continue to get better.“
- A panelist of Bulls writers discussed the prospect of restricted free agent Nikola Mirotic returning to Chicago, with ESPN’s Nick Friedell ultimately saying that the Bulls may have a pre-established limit to how much they’ll spend to retain the big man’s services and if he can land that from another organization, they’ll let him leave.
- A solid performance in the Orlando Summer League helped Eric Moreland land a job as the No. 3 center for the Pistons. “I think he’s an active big that really understands pick-and-roll defense,” Pistons associate head coach Bob Beyer told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
Weekly Mailbag: 7/3/17 – 7/9/17
We have an opportunity for you to hit us up with your questions in this, our weekly mailbag feature. Have a question regarding player movement, the salary cap or the NBA draft? Drop us a line at HoopsRumorsMailbag@Gmail.com. Here are this week’s inquiries:
Which veteran free agent guard would best suit the Knicks, Derrick Rose or Rajon Rondo? — Charles Johnson, via Twitter
If we are to believe what the Knicks are saying, they want to get serious about building around a young core of Kristaps Porzingis, Willy Hernangomez, Frank Ntilikina and the newly acquired Tim Hardaway Jr. That means no long-term, big-money offers for veterans like the 31-year-old Rondo or the 28-year-old Rose. Things could always change, of course. A trade of Carmelo Anthony or Courtney Lee could free up cap room or David Griffin could make the case for some veteran leadership if he becomes the new GM, but for now count New York out of the race for Rondo and Rose.
Any closer to knowing what will happen with D-Rose? Are the Bucks still trying to clear space to get him, or has that passed? — Ben J. Fischer, via Twitter
Rose had a meeting with Milwaukee this week, but it looks like an awkward fit. The Bucks are already about $10MM over the cap, so the only way they could afford him is in a sign-and-trade with the Knicks, probably involving Greg Monroe, who is entering the final year of his contract. Also, Milwaukee spent heavily on a point guard last summer in Matthew Dellavedova, and Giannis Antetokounmpo runs the offense there anyway. Right now, there isn’t a clear landing spot for Rose unless he’s willing to take a short-term deal or drastically reduce his salary expectations.
What direction do the Grizzlies go in the offseason? How bad do they regret giving Chandler Parsons $94MM? — Hugh Austin
The first year of the Parsons deal was a disaster. He managed just 34 games and had another knee surgery, this time in March to repair a partial tear of his left medial meniscus. However, Parsons is only 28, is under contract for three more seasons and remains a very good player when healthy. Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace took an optimistic approach toward Parsons last month, saying the team expects him to be a full participant when training camp opens in September. But the Parsons contract does limit Memphis’ options in free agency, especially when combined with large deals for Mike Conley and Marc Gasol, giving them three players who will make more than $74MM next season. The Grizzlies will be limited to small deals as long as all three remain on the roster.