DeMarre Carroll Signs With Hawks
AUGUST 3RD: The Hawks confirmed the move via press release.
JULY 5TH: DeMarre Carroll will sign with the Hawks, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that it’s a two-year, $5MM deal for the second Utah forward to leave for Atlanta tonight (Twitter links). Paul Millsap is also headed to the Hawks.
Carroll figures to add depth to an Atlanta front line that includes Millsap and Al Horford. He averaged career highs in points (6.0) and rebounds (2.8) for the Jazz this past season. This will be the fourth contract already for the 27th pick in the 2009 draft who was waived by both the Rockets and the Nuggets before he signed a minimum-salary deal with Utah.
Bartelstein had frequent conversations with the Jazz about a return to Utah for Carroll, but today’s trade with Golden State that brought aboard Richard Jefferson, among others, helped push Carroll out the door, according to Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links).
Odds & Ends: Pekovic, Adelman, Johnson, Sixers
Timberwolves president of basketball ops Flip Saunders remains optimistic that the club will soon re-sign Nikola Pekovic, and tells Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune that he's trying to explain the thought process behind the team's offer to the big man and his camp. Saunders stopped short of confirming that coach Rick Adelman will be back for this coming season, but echoed owner Glen Taylor's comments from last month, saying that he's optimstic that Adelman will return. There's more from Minnesota and other NBA locales in tonight's roundup:
- The Wolves reached out to Ivan Johnson's camp earlier this summer, but the team has since moved on, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
- The Sixers received permission last month to interview Bulls assistant coach Ed Pinckney, and the interview has indeed taken place, observes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who names David Vanterpool, Michael Curry, and Jay Larranaga as the other "serious candidates" behind front-runner Brett Brown.
- A multitude of conflicting recent reports left it unclear whether 53rd overall pick Colton Iverson would play overseas or join the Celtics this season, but a source tells Jay King of MassLive.com that Iverson has signed his one-year deal with Besiktas of Turkey.
- DeMarre Carroll indicated on Twitter tonight that he's inked his deal with the Hawks. The team is expected to make a formal announcement Saturday, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- LeBron James has "serious reservations" about whether he can take on the presidency of the union, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who nonetheless supports the MVP's candidacy, even as sources describe James as unlikely to take the job.
- The Magic didn't strike a buyout agreement before they waived Al Harrington today, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel confirms. That means the team is stuck paying the guaranteed portion of his contract, minus whatever it can recoup via set-off rights.
- Pac 12 commissioner Larry Scott wants to see the end of the "one-and-done" rule for NBA draft eligibility, and Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com wonders if incoming NBA commissioner Adam Silver will make a push for change on that front.
Southeast Notes: Magic, Wizards, Heat, Hawks
The Hawks acquired five players in the Joe Johnson trade last summer, and with their release of DeShawn Stevenson today, none of the five remain on the team's roster, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution points out via Twitter. GM Danny Ferry has radically reshaped the club in little more than a year, and the Stevenson move wasn't Atlanta's only transaction of the day, as we detail amid other news from the Southeast Division:
- Magic owner Rich DeVos is 87 years old, but he has no plans to sell the club, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes in an early Eastern Conference preview. Instead, he has given his four children shares of the Magic with the intent that the family will continue to own the team for decades to come.
- The Magic would like to pursue a one-to-one affiliation with a D-League team that would be stationed in Florida, but obstacles are in the way, Robbins reports in the same piece. Orlando will be one of six teams sharing the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. Ideally, the Magic want to have a "hybrid" partnership, wherein they'd run the D-League team's basketball operations while local ownership took care of the business side.
- The Wizards seem likely to push for one of the final three playoff spots in the East, and owner Ted Leonsis believes a postseason berth would be a significant help to the team's hopes of signing a marquee free agent, observes Michael Lee of The Washington Post.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel believes that with so many teams with an eye on the lottery, buyouts could come earlier than usual this season. Winderman figures the Heat will be active in the market for bought-out players.
- Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer completed his staff Friday, hiring Jim Thomas as an assistant, the team announced. Thomas had been serving as a scout for the Thunder.
Hawks Waive DeShawn Stevenson
The Hawks have waived DeShawn Stevenson, a league source tells Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (on Twitter). The move clears the way for Atlanta to officially sign DeMarre Carroll to a to a two-year, $5MM deal.
The guard signed a three-year pact with the Hawks last summer which paid him $2,240,450 per season, though only the first season was guaranteed. The veteran, known primarily for his tough defense, averaged 5.1 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 20.7 minutes per game for the Hawks last season.
In 13 seasons for the Jazz, Magic, Wizards, Mavericks, Nets, and Hawks, Stevenson has career averages of 7.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG.
Several Teams Interested In Lou Amundson
There are a number of teams anxiously awaiting Greg Oden's free agent decision today and many of those clubs all seem to have a common Plan B. Some of the same teams that are pursuing the former No. 1 overall pick are also showing interest in free agent Louis Amundson, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
The Heat, Kings, and Mavericks, who are all finalists for Oden, have registered some level of interest in the well-traveled 30-year-old (link). The Hawks, Knicks, and Pacers are also looking into Amundson.
The UNLV product averaged 1.9 PPG in 9.5 minutes per contest for three teams last season. In seven career NBA seasons with eight diffeent clubs, Amundson has career averages of 3.7 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 12.8 minutes per contest.
Odds & Ends: Oden, Thunder, Clippers
The Heat, Spurs and Mavs are the most likely to land Greg Oden when he makes his decision Friday, sources tell Jeff Goodman and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Goodman and Stein are hearing conflicting information on whether the Pelicans, Kings and Hawks remain in the running, but it appears New Orleans has the best chance out of those three. The Cavs, Celtics and Grizzlies have also expressed interest, but they declined to make formal offers, the report also says. Here's more on Oden and others around the Association:
- Whichever team signs Oden once he makes his decision tomorrow won't be committing more than a few million dollars, leading HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy to argue that he's worth the risk. Taking such risks is what shrewd GM's do, SB Nation's Tom Ziller opines.
- The league is reimbursing the Thunder $8MM, or roughly half of the difference between the money the team is shelling out for Kevin Durant and the smaller amount the Thunder agreed to pay when he signed his extension, Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets.
- The ESPN.com staff is high on the Clippers, as Chad Ford gives them the only A+ among his Western Conference offseason grades (Insiders only), while the 5-on-5 crew lauds the team's acquisitions of coach Doc Rivers and sharpshooter Jared Dudley.
- HoopsWorld's Nate Duncan profiles six players whom teams may have undervalued this summer.
Eastern Notes: Wall, Monroe, Sixers, Humphries
Let's round up a few Thursday items from around the Eastern Conference….
- John Wall's five-year extension with the Wizards is fully guaranteed, with no player or team options involved, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Wall spoke to Monumental Sports Network about his new deal, and the additional pressure it will put on him over the next few years.
- According to Grantland's Zach Lowe, the Pistons don't seem overly enthusiastic about signing Greg Monroe to a maximum-salary extension. If the team "falls in love" with a frontline of Josh Smith and Andre Drummond, Monroe could be dangled at some point, Lowe suggests.
- Monroe, Paul George, and Larry Sanders are among the Eastern players who could follow in Wall's footsteps and sign lucrative long-term extensions this offseason, as Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld writes.
- Spurs assistant Brett Brown continues to be a frontrunner for the Sixers' head coaching job, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). A report last month indicated Philadelphia would likely choose between Michael Curry and Brown, who Pompey calls "the preferred candidate."
- The Knicks would be interested in Kris Humphries if he's bought out by the Celtics, but that appears unlikely at this point, says Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
- The Hawks have yet to make a final decision on where Lucas Nogueira will play next season, but it still looks as if he'll return to Spain, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- Brett Koremenos of Grantland speculates that if Gigi Datome has success with the Pistons, it could inspire other NBA teams to look more closely to Europe for inexpensive outside shooters.
Greg Oden To Make Decision On Friday
Free agent big man Greg Oden will decide where he'll sign on Friday, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The Heat, Kings, Hawks, Pelicans, Spurs, and Mavericks are the teams in the running for the former first overall pick.
Spears initially reported last Tuesday that a decision from Oden was expected to come this week, and has since suggested that the 25-year-old is most intrigued by the Heat and Pelicans. Miami has been linked to Oden for the better part of 2013, and have always looked to me like the frontrunner, though New Orleans and other clubs are making a late push.
Of Oden's suitors, the Pelicans and Kings have the $2.65MM room exception available to offer, while the Heat have their mini mid-level exception worth about $3.18MM. The Hawks could waive some non-guaranteed salaries to clear a chunk of cap space, and the Mavs and Spurs can only offer minimum-salary deals. Of course, just because a team like the Heat has the flexibility to outbid other teams, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll offer that full MLE.
Mike Muscala Signs With Obradoiro
Second-round pick Mike Muscala has signed overseas with Blusens Monbus Obradoiro of the ACB League, according to the team. Muscala, who was drafted by the Hawks this June, confirmed the news himself, via Twitter.
Muscala, 22, was acquired by the Hawks as part of a draft-night deal that also landed the team Jared Cunningham and the No. 16 pick. The 44th overall pick played four seasons at Bucknell, averaging a double-double (18.7 PPG, 11.1 RPG) in his senior year.
On the heels of Erick Green's deal with Siena, Muscala becomes the latest American draftee to head overseas while his NBA team hangs on to his rights. Depending on the terms of Muscala's agreement, Atlanta should have the opportunity to bring him back stateside next summer.
Odds & Ends: Harrington, Ebanks, Mo Williams
Al Harrington recognizes that he's a candidate to be traded or bought out by the Magic, but tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he's healthier and believes he can still contribute, wherever he lands.
"Whatever situation I can get to where I can help a team win, that's what I want to do," Harrington said. "I don't want to play 36 minutes or none of that. Play 20, 25 minutes, just help mentor the young guys and stuff like that."
Here's more from around the NBA:
- Former Laker Devin Ebanks has received interest from the Hawks, Bucks, Bobcats, and Nuggets, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- In his latest column on the Suns, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic says that agent Arn Tellem was "five minutes away" from a deal for J.J. Redick with another team before the Suns and Clippers proposed the three-team trade that sent him to Los Angeles. Coro also notes that the Pacers had expressed interest in Luis Scola for months before acquiring him.
- Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien met with Mo Williams today in Memphis, tweets Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Within an excellent piece on the Thunder, Grantland's Zach Lowe shares a few interesting details on Kevin Durant's max contract and Oklahoma City's cap and tax situation.