Western Rumors, Kaman, Johnson, Splitter, Mavs
The top two free agents this summer came from Western Conference teams, and Dwight Howard and Chris Paul remain in the West, though Howard left the Lakers for the Rockets. That helps maintain the perception of the Western Conference as the stronger side of the league, even as the Heat have won the last two championships. Here's more on a few of the West's teams:
- Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News is high on the resourcefulness of the Lakers this summer in the wake of Howard's decision to bolt. Within the piece, Chris Kaman says he didn't have a lot of other options when he signed with the Lakers, though several other teams reportedly showed interest. Wesley Johnson acknowledged offers from "a lot of different teams," but he called his choice of the Lakers "a no-brainer."
- The Hawks and Trail Blazers talked about deals for Tiago Splitter with agent Arn Tellem, and while Splitter gave thought to leaving the Spurs this month, he jumped on San Antonio's four-year, $36MM offer, and he says the Spurs were always his first option. The center goes in-depth on his choice with Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News.
- The Mavs may need to sign someone from their summer league team to compensate for the departure of Bernard James, according to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, who examines some of the candidates.
Contract Details: Landry, Wolves, Turiaf
We've kept up with precise data on many of the new player contracts handed out around the league with four posts already this week. There's still more info trickling in, and here's the latest:
- Carl Landry will receive $6.5MM in each of the four seasons of his contract with the Kings, making the total value $26MM, HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus tweets.
- The Timberwolves used part of their $2.016MM bi-annual exception to sign Ronny Turiaf, who'll make $1.5MM in both seasons of his two-year deal, according to Pincus (Twitter link). Minnesota can use the remaining amount of the bi-annual at any time this season, but the team won't be allowed to carry it into 2014/15, when the Wolves won't have any portion of the bi-annual available.
- Pincus updated the HoopsWorld contract data for the Kings, Magic, Bucks, Timberwolves, Rockets, Warriors, Pistons, Cavaliers and Hawks.
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports updated salary information for the Lakers and Hawks.
Southeast Notes: Heat, Miller, Mack
The buzz is back in Charlotte, or at least, it is in one sense. The floundering Bobcats will shed their moniker dedicated to their former owner and their day-glow orange jerseys and become the Hornets in 2014/15. Here's a look at the latest out of the Southeast..
- The Heat dropped Mike Miller's salary by using the amnesty clause, but their real tax test is still ahead of them, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. If a proven veteran with an outsized contract is put on the market at the deadline, Winderman wonders if the club will take the plunge by packaging smaller pieces such as Joel Anthony, Udonis Haslem, and Shane Battier to get a deal done.
- One reader asks Winderman if the Heat still have room in their rotation for another upgrade this winter. With Chris Andersen, Chris Bosh, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Mario Chalmers, Ray Allen, Battier, Norris Cole, and possibly Haslem, there doesn't seem to be another rotation spot available.
- The Hawks appear to be overloaded at the one-guard position after re-signing Jeff Teague and drafting Dennis Schroder, but GM Danny Ferry believes that there will still be a place for guard Shelvin Mack, writes Robby Kalland of Peachtree Hoops.
Eastern Rumors: KG, Mo Williams, Hawks, Cavs
In his introductory press conference with the Nets today, Kevin Garnett admits he "absolutely" considered retirement this spring, and indicated that Paul Pierce's uncertain future with the Celtics was a major reason why. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe has more from Garnett. Washburn rounds up Pierce's comments as well, and we'll take a look at the rest of the East:
- The last we heard on Mo Williams was that he's prepared to take a discount to sign with a contender, and HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler reiterates that, tweeting that Williams is telling people he'll look to sign with the Heat if offers from other clubs don't improve.
- The Hawks are mulling whether to sign 16th overall pick Lucas Nogueira this summer or let him play overseas this year, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution examines (subscription required).
- Atlanta paid $550K to buy 15th pick Dennis Schröder out of his European deal, and a larger buyout would be probably be necessary for Nogueira, Vivlamore writes in the same piece. NBA clubs can only pay up to $575K in a buyout without money coming out of the player's check.
- The Cavs are high on undrafted guard Matthew Dellavedova, and would like see him play for their D-League affiliate, tweets Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal. The St. Mary's product is drawing offers from overseas that could complicate matters, Lloyd notes.
- Foreign clubs are also showing interest in Chris Quinn, who's with the Cavs on a non-guaranteed minimum-salary deal. Quinn isn't likely to last long in Cleveland, and the Cavs may cut him soon to allow him to pursue other opportunities, according to Lloyd (Twitter link).
- Talks between the Knicks and Bobby Brown are gathering steam, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The Creative Artists Agency client was among a group who worked out for the Knicks this week, though five other teams have interest, Zwerling says.
- Toure Murry has also made a positive impression on the Knicks, Zwerling adds.
Blazers GM, Aldridge Reps Discuss Possible Trade
Blazers GM Neil Olshey met Sunday in Las Vegas with members of LaMarcus Aldridge's camp who suggested several trade scenarios, a source tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The source described the meeting as productive, with both sides focused on the best outcome for all involved. Still, Haynes hears the team is in no hurry to trade the All-Star power forward, particularly if there isn't a fair deal available. Olshey and company don't want a package of draft picks in return, according to Haynes.
The Bulls, Timberwolves, Clippers, Hawks and Pelicans have declined to include Joakim Noah, Kevin Love, Blake Griffin, Al Horford and Anthony Davis, respectively, in any deal for Aldridge, Haynes hears. Aldridge has told Haynes and others that he has not requested a trade, and Haynes has confirmed that he hasn't done so. Still, Aldridge isn't opposed to a trade, just as he'd be OK with returning to Portland, as Haynes writes, echoing his report from last month.
A strong performance from Aldridge this season could help Olshey find the deal he wants next summer, when Aldridge will be down to one more year on his contract. The 28-year-old Arn Tellem client will make $14.628MM this season and $15.756MM in 2014/15.
Bucks Sign Zaza Pachulia
JULY 17TH, 4:55pm: The Bucks have officially finalized their deal with Pachulia, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 6TH, 11:03pm: According to sources close to the situation, Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes that the Bucks and Pachulia verbally agreed to a three-year deal that will pay him $16MM. Pachulia will be re-united with his coach with the Hawks last season when he follows Larry Drew to the Bucks.
9:46pm: Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that it's a three-year $15MM deal. ESPN.com's Chris Broussard tweets the same, as does NBA.com columnist David Aldridge (Twitter), but Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears says the deal is actually worth $15.6MM over three years (Twitter) while referencing that ESPN first reported the story (see below).
Gardner adds that Pachulia will be a good locker-room presence for the Bucks and provide nice addition of toughness inside to team with blossoming big man Larry Sanders (Twitter).
Pachulia is represented by Jim Connor of Williams & Connolly according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database. Zaza averaged 5.9 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 21.8 MPG during a 2012/13 season that saw him appear in 52 games for the Hawks.
9:37pm: Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that league sources are telling him the deal is worth $15MM over three years.
9:33pm: Stein tweets that the Bucks have agreed to a three-year deal worth $16MM for Zaza Pachulia.
9:31pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein says (Twitter) the Bucks are "pushing very hard" to get Hawks big man, Zaza Pachulia. They're reportedly offering in the $5MM a year range, Stein adds (Twitter).
Potential 2014 Amnesty Candidates
2013's amnesty period came to an end last night at 11:00pm CST, leaving just seven teams and 11 players still in play for the amnesty clause. The Bobcats, Lakers, Heat, Bucks, and Raptors all used the amnesty provision this year, making 20 teams in total that have taken advantage of it in the last three years.
While that leaves 10 teams who haven't amnestied a player yet, three of those clubs will no longer have any players eligible. The Pelicans entered this offseason with no amnesty-eligible players under contract, and the Pistons (Charlie Villanueva, Greg Monroe) and Jazz (Derrick Favors, Gordon Hayward) both elected to keep their remaining amnesty-eligible players, all of whom are on expiring contracts.
That leaves the following list of teams that could still release a player via amnesty next July:
- Atlanta Hawks: Al Horford
- Boston Celtics: Rajon Rondo
- Chicago Bulls: Joakim Noah, Carlos Boozer
- Memphis Grizzlies: Zach Randolph, Mike Conley
- Oklahoma City Thunder: Kevin Durant, Kendrick Perkins, Nick Collison
- Sacramento Kings: John Salmons
- San Antonio Spurs: Tony Parker
It's safe to assume that, barring a catastrophic, career-threatening injury, Horford, Rondo, and Parker are safe, meaning the Hawks, Celtics, and Spurs are unlikely to use the amnesty provision. That leaves just four teams in play. Here's a look at the candidates on those clubs:
Chicago Bulls:
Even though Noah will still have two years left on his contract entering next offseason, he's still young and productive enough that it's hard to imagine him becoming a realistic amnesty candidate before his deal expires. The same can't be said for Boozer. After being discussed as a potential victim last summer, he didn't inspire too many rumors this time around, but there's still a consensus that he could be in danger next July.
With Luol Deng's contract set to expire, the Bulls could clear a big chunk of cap space by letting Deng expire and amnestying Boozer. The veteran power forward is coming off a decent season, but he's not the same player he once was, and clearing his $16.8MM cap hit for 2014/15 could have significant cap and tax benefits.
Memphis Grizzlies:
Randolph and Conley both continue to be essential pieces of the Grizzlies' core, so I think it's extremely unlikely that either player becomes an amnesty candidate. Still, it's worth noting that Randolph is on the books for $16.5MM in 2014/15, and Conley will still have two years left on his contract heading into next summer. We've seen situations change quickly before, so I don't want to entirely shut the door on either possibility, but it's a long shot that Memphis uses its amnesty provision.
Oklahoma City Thunder:
Durant isn't going anywhere, and I doubt the Thunder will be so hard up for flexibility next summer that they'll need to clear Collison's modest $2.24MM cap hit from the books. But Perkins has been and continues to be a very viable amnesty candidate. OKC decided this year that Perkins still provides enough value on the court that it's not worth paying him to play for another team, but when his salary increases to $9.65MM in 2014, the club may change its stance.
Sacramento Kings:
On the surface, Salmons looks like one of the strongest amnesty candidates remaining, but after this season, most of his remaining salary is non-guaranteed — the Kings are only on the hook for $1MM of his $7MM total. That means that Sacramento could choose between saving $6MM in cap space by buying out Salmons for $1MM, or saving $7MM in cap space by paying him his full salary. It's pretty hard to imagine many scenarios in which clearing that extra $1MM in cap room is worth paying Salmons an extra $6MM, so it looks like the Kings won't use their amnesty clause.
Overall, while it remains possible that players like Boozer or Perkins could be released in 2014, it looks like most of the teams that are going to use the amnesty provision during this CBA have already done so.
Eastern Notes: Pistons, Hawks, Tyler, Adams
Various recent reports have suggested the Pistons are looking for an upgrade at point guard, linking the team to Rajon Rondo and Brandon Jennings. Speaking to reporters today, including David Mayo of MLive.com, GM Joe Dumars confirmed he'd talked to the Celtics about Rondo, but adamantly denied offering Brandon Knight to Boston, or having any talks with the Bucks about Jennings.
Here's more out of the Eastern Conference:
- According to Grantland's Zach Lowe, a few teams inquired on Greg Monroe's availability prior to the draft, but were given a flat "no" by the Pistons.
- Although there were several teams interested in Gigi Datome, the Pistons viewed the Heat as the biggest threat to nab the Italian sharpshooter, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
- Even after reaching deals with Paul Millsap, DeMarre Carroll, and Elton Brand, the Hawks have interest in bringing back Ivan Johnson, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
- Jeff Teague spoke to Shams Charania of RealGM.com about the Hawks' decision to match his offer sheet with the Bucks, indicating that he's happy to be returning to Atlanta.
- Gabe Giordano, the agent for Jeremy Tyler, is hopeful that his client will be able to finalize a contract with the Knicks in the next few weeks that will at least earn him a training camp invite, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com writes.
- Former Bulls lead assistant Ron Adams will be joining the Celtics' coaching staff in a similar role, says Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe.
- George Hill of the Pacers and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of the Bobcats have been added to the Team USA mini-camp roster, along with Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Kawhi Leonard will no longer participate due to a left knee injury.
Hawks Sign Elton Brand
1:14pm: The Hawks have formally announced Brand's signing in a press release, making it official. The veteran's one-year pact with the team will be worth $4MM, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. While that's an increase over the $2.1MM Dallas paid him last season, it's a significant pay cut from the $18MM+ overall salary he was earning after being amnestied by the Sixers.
12:20pm: The Hawks have reached an agreement on a one-year deal with Elton Brand, agent David Falk tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Terms of the contract have yet to be reported, but Brand figures to sign for a portion of Atlanta's cap space, rather than the minimum salary.
Brand, 34, is coming off a season with the Mavericks in which he established new career-lows in a number of categories, including PPG (7.2) and RPG (6.0). Still, he remained relatively efficient (15.2 PER), and Falk tells HoopsHype that he believes his client could play another four or five years.
The Mavs were believed to be in the hunt for Brand, who also drew interest from the Knicks, Lakers, and Cavs, among other teams. For the Hawks, the former first overall pick becomes the latest addition to a revamped frontcourt that lost Josh Smith and Zaza Pachulia, but has gained Paul Millsap and DeMarre Carroll.
Northwest Notes: Wolves, Brewer, Nuggets, Gasol
Here's the latest out of the Northwest Division..
- Pau Gasol or Rajon Rondo could be possibilities for the Nuggets if the Lakers or Celtics decide to really blow things up, writes Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post. The Nuggets are armed with a trade exception of nearly $10MM from the Andre Iguodala trade and have added flexibility to pull of a deal.
- Corey Brewer is back with the Timberwolves, but this time around he sees a much different team, writes Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. “There are a lot of good players there, and there’s a chance to win. The first time, we didn’t have a chance to win. What better than to come back and have a chance to win where I started? If we stay healthy, we’ll be in the playoffs," said the Florida product.
- More from Zgoda's conversation with Brewer (via Twitter), who tells him that the Bucks, Hawks and Kings also pursued him but of the four clubs, he liked the Wolves' roster the most and the direction the team was going.