Hawks Re-Sign Kyle Korver
JULY 12TH: Korver's deal with the Hawks is now official, the team has announced in a press release.
JULY 3RD: The Hawks have reached an agreement with Kyle Korver on a four-year contract extension worth about $24MM, reports Marc Stein of ESPN (via Twitter).
Korver, who spent last year in Atlanta, averaged 10.9 points per game in 30.5 minutes for the Hawks in 2012/13. It was the first time he averaged double figures in points or more than 30 minutes per night since leaving Philadelphia in 2008. Korver, 32, shot 45.7 percent from downtown last season, and was a coveted free agent.
Interest in the former Creighton star had heated up in recent days. At one point, the sharp shooter seemed destined for Brooklyn, with the Spurs and Bucks also in the mix. Korver is represented by Excel Sports Management, as shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Odds & Ends: Jenkins, Wizards, Warriors, Amnesty
It’s already been a busy night, as news broke of Andrei Kirilenko‘s deal with the Nets followed shortly after by word that the Lakers would amnesty Metta World Peace. Here are some other odds and ends from around the NBA on Thursday night:
- The Hawks have named Taylor Jenkins as an assistant coach, the team announced
today in a press release. Jenkins had most recently been the head coach of the D-League’s Austin Toros. - The Wizards are in no rush to fill their final roster spot,
since they want to have flexibility for when the right player comes along,
according to GM Ernie Grunfeld (Twitter link). Grunfeld sounded optimistic about the team’s offseason today, as the Wiz wrapped us their summer minicamp, writes Gene Wang of the Washington Post. - The Wiz cut ties with roster longshots Josh Boone, Kevin Dillard and James Harris today, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News outlines how the Warriors front office has changed the way the team is viewed around the NBA, to the point where he says Golden State has “switched places” with the Lakers. Kawakami also provides a transcript of Andre Iguodala‘s introductory press conference.
- Now that the Lakers have amnestied World Peace, only 12 teams remain that haven’t utilized the provision and within those teams, only 30 players are left that fit the criteria for amnesty eligibility. Here is the list, courtesy of Marc Stein of ESPN.
Odds & Ends: Wolves, Turiaf, Williams, Webster
The Timberwolves appear ready to finalize deals bringing Kevin Martin and Corey Brewer on board, but those aren't the only outside free agents the team targeted. According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), Minnesota has emerged as the frontrunner to sign Ronny Turiaf. I can't imagine Turiaf will earn more than the veteran's minimum, so he shouldn't affect the Wolves' cap outlook if a deal is reached. Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Martin, who trains with Brewer in Florida, was very involved in lobbying Brewer to sign with the Timberwolves, according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter).
- Several teams are courting Mo Williams, so there's no guarantee he lands with the Hawks if Atlanta declines to match Jeff Teague's offer sheet, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
- According to Martell Webster, he received interest from the Cavaliers, Bucks, Knicks, Clippers, Blazers, and Pelicans ("big-time") before re-signing with the Wizards (Twitter link via Michael Lee of the Washington Post).
- Grantland's Zach Lowe examines seven teams that could use their amnesty provision within the next few days.
- Brandon Bass brushed off questions about a potentially uncertain future with the Celtics, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes.
Hawks Sign Dennis Schröder
11:35am: Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution confirms (via Twitter) that the Hawks' rookie point guard will now be referred to by the name Dennis Schröder, rather than Schroeder.
10:45am: The Hawks have officially signed 17th overall pick Dennis Schroeder to a rookie-scale contract, the team announced today in a press release. As our salary chart for first-rounders shows, Schroeder should be in line for a 2013/14 salary worth about $1.62MM.
Although the news was expected, there are a couple of noteworthy details related to the team's press release. For one, a club's rookie signings are often announced simultaneously, so the fact that the Hawks announced Schroeder's deal and haven't said anything about 16th overall pick Lucas Nogueira may mean that the Brazilian big man isn't coming stateside this season — or it could simply mean that a separate announcement is coming at a later date.
Additionally, the Hawks spell Dennis' last name as Schröder in their release, which is the same way the point guard spells it on his Twitter account, where he announced his signing yesterday. We'll wait for confirmation on which spelling will be used for NBA purposes.
Jeff Teague Ready To Move On From Hawks
After signing an offer sheet with the Bucks last night, Jeff Teague has told Hawks GM Danny Ferry he's ready to move on from Atlanta, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution hears (Twitter link). Milwaukee's offer sheet, which the Hawks will have three days to match, is reportedly worth $32MM over four years.
Vivlamore's report doesn't come as a real surprise, given the news and rumors we've heard on Teague this month. During the first week of free agency, reports suggested that Teague's camp had grown increasingly frustrated by Atlanta's unwillingness to engage in contract negotiations, and that Teague was "nearly unwanted" within the Hawks' organization. Teague added today that the Bucks "embraced" him and made him feel wanted, which is something he didn't experience in Atlanta (Twitter link via Vivlamore).
This isn't the first time in recent years that a restricted free agent has encouraged his previous team not to match an offer sheet. Just last summer, Eric Gordon issued a statement after signing with the Suns, in which he declared that "Phoenix is just where my heart is now." In that instance, the then-Hornets matched Gordon's offer sheet anyway. If they don't have any other viable options and feel that Teague would be a valuable asset at that price, the Hawks may match, but those are two big ifs. As is, Teague doesn't expect the Hawks to match, according to Vivalmore (via Twitter).
Although Teague reportedly signed the Bucks' offer sheet last night, that didn't necessarily start the clock on the Hawks' three days. Atlanta has to formally receive the offer sheet, which sometimes doesn't happen immediately, as we saw with Jeremy Lin and the Rockets and Knicks a year ago. It's not clear if the three-day countdown is already underway or if it'll start at some point today.
Odds & Ends: Johnson, Blair, Mavs, Deng, Jazz
Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars introduced free agent signee Josh Smith to the media today, but Dumars says he isn't done upgrading the roster, as Rod Beard of the Detroit News observes. The team also brought Rasheed Wallace aboard as an assistant coach this week, providing a link to its championship past. Here's more from the rest of the league as teams and players covet the Larry O'Brien trophy:
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears Ivan Johnson is drawing interest from several teams, including the Hawks (Twitter link). Atlanta declined to offer Johnson a qualifying offer this summer, but the team can still re-sign him as an unrestricted free agent. Johnson let go of agent Larry Williams last week.
- The Mavs have "poked around" free agent DeJuan Blair, as Jeff Caplan of NBA.com tweets, so it appears the club may have some level of interest. The team is focusing on its frontcourt, and GM Donnie Nelson doesn't think the Mavs will be bringing on any more guards, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes at the end of his roundup.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com thinks the Mavs should have been more willing to take a risk on Andrew Bynum.
- An NBA GM from outside the Bulls organization tells Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com that Luol Deng could command between $11MM and $12MM on the open market next summer. Deng and the Bulls appear to be working toward an extension (Twitter link).
- The Jazz may have had "different conversations with Mo Williams" if the team hadn't wound up with Trey Burke on draft night, GM Dennis Lindsey told reporters today, including Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).
- Royce White, who's headed to the Sixers via trade, intends to play for the team, but is still reluctant to make frequent flights, as he tells Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register (link via USA Today).
Renounced Players: Wednesday
As teams clear cap space to finalize signings and trades, it may mean renouncing Early Bird or Bird rights to their own free agents, in order to remove cap holds from the books. Once a player is renounced, his previous team has no more claim to him that any other team — he could still be re-signed, but it would have to be done using cap space or an exception. Some of those decisions are more notable than others, but for completion's sake, we'll track the latest of these cap-clearing moves right here:
- Mo Williams is the most prominent name among the several whose rights the Jazz renounced today, according to the RealGM transaction log. Al Jefferson, DeMarre Carroll and Earl Watson, who already have deals to join other teams, are also on the list, as are the long-retired Brevin Knight and Greg Ostertag.
- Bobcats are set to re-sign Josh McRoberts, but they won't be using their Early Bird rights to do so, as they've renounced his rights, RealGM shows. The team also renounced their rights to Reggie Williams, who's heading to the Rockets, and it cut ties with DeSagana Diop, Byron Mullens and Jannero Pargo, too.
- Golden State will sign Jermaine O'Neal, so the Suns have renounced his rights, as well as their rights to Wesley Johnson and Diante Garrett, as RealGM notes.
Earlier updates:
- The Hawks have cleared out unwanted cap holds from their books, renouncing their rights to Hilton Armstrong, Erick Dampier, Devin Harris, Dahntay Jones, Randolph Morris, Zaza Pachulia, Johan Petro, Josh Smith, and Etan Thomas, according to RealGM.com's transactions log.
- RealGM.com also has the Trail Blazers renouncing multiple players, including Luke Babbitt, J.J. Hickson, Eric Maynor, and Nolan Smith.
- Most interestingly, according to RealGM.com, the Bucks have renounced their rights to Monta Ellis. That doesn't necessarily preclude a sign-and-trade, but it would mean the team would have to use cap space rather than Ellis' Bird rights to accommodate a deal.
- The Pelicans have renounced their rights to Louis Amundson, Xavier Henry, and Roger Mason Jr., the team announced today in a press release.
- In order to clear cap room for their signings, the Pistons renounced Will Bynum, Jose Calderon, Vernon Macklin, Corey Maggette, Jason Maxiell, and Ben Wallace, according to RealGM's transactions log. The Pistons plan to re-sign Bynum, but removing his $6MM+ cap hold and signing him to a smaller figure using cap space makes the most sense.
- After renouncing their rights to Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom, the Clippers have also renounced Bobby Simmons, according to RealGM.com's transactions log.
Fallout From Andrew Bynum’s Deal With Cavs
Plenty of deals have become official today, the first day after the July Moratorium, but the biggest story involves an agreement struck this evening, with Andrew Bynum and his balky knees heading to the Cavs. The deal is only guaranteed for $6MM, and according to USA Today's Sam Amick, "enormous protections" are in place that would make it difficult for Bynum to get his full $12MM salary this year unless he's healthy (Twitter link). The Cavs are realisitc about Bynum's injury troubles, and are simply hopeful he'll be ready for training camp, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets. Here's more reaction to Cleveland's gamble:
- Some teams were turned off on Bynum this summer because of questions surrounding his willingness to aggressively rehab, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. He still isn't healthy enough to take part in full-court drills, TNT's David Aldridge hears.
- Neither the Hawks nor the Mavs made a formal offer to Bynum after he met with the teams this week, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
- Several executives told Chris Mannix of SI.com that they wouldn't give Bynum any more than a one-year deal for the mid-level exception (Twitter link). As Mannix points out, the Cavs gave him a deal that's only guaranteed for about the same amount of money as the non-taxpayer's mid-level.
- On Monday, well before the Bynum signing, a source told Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that he wouldn't be surprised to see the Cavs re-sign Luke Walton if Bynum wound up in Cleveland (Twitter link).
- A Cavs executive told Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer that the team understands the risk involved with Bynum's knees. Still, the club is willing to take him on because of his upside, the exec says (on Twitter).
- Similarly, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal hears there's skepticism within the Cavs organization that Bynum will ever be the player he once was (Twitter link). The contract is well worth the risk anyway, Lloyd says.
- With Bynum joining a crowded frontcourt in Cleveland, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel figures it puts the Cavs out of the running for Greg Oden, who's also reportedly a target of the Heat (Twitter link).
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com looks at how Bynum could fit in with the Cavs, assuming he's healthy all season.
Andrew Bynum Rumors: Wednesday
We heard yesterday that Andrew Bynum may make a decision on his next team by the end of the night, but that turned out not be the case. As I suggested on Tuesday, it didn't make a ton of sense for Bynum to announce a decision before his meeting with the Mavericks, which is scheduled for today. For now, agent David Lee says there's no timetable for his client's decision, adding that it "might" happen this week, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
Here are the rest of today's Bynum updates:
- Lee wants to engage the Cavs in another dialogue tonight or tomorrow, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. Still, the team isn't going to wait on Bynum, and while it hasn't pulled its offer, Cleveland will keep looking at other options (Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
- Of the $24MM the Cavs offered Bynum over two years, only $6MM is guaranteed, says ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). However, that still makes it the highest offer Bynum currently has on the table.
- The Mavericks' interest in Bynum remains serious enough after today's meeting that they're having "a medical discussion" and weighing an offer, GM Donnie Nelson indicated (link via Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News).
- Asked if Bynum would make a decision today, agent David Lee told the Plain Dealer (Twitter link) that "it takes two to make an agreement." That suggests to me that negotiations are ongoing and that there's not necessarily an offer on the table that Bynum likes.
- Earlier today, we heard that the Sixers haven't entirely ruled out the possibility of bringing back Bynum. Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio also heard that the Cavs believed Bynum may prefer to play in Dallas.
- Many league executives feel like it will be difficult for the Hawks or Mavericks to top the Cavaliers' offer to Bynum, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- According to Amico, the Cavs and Hawks have been provided with Bynum's most recent medical results, and one source says they're "not bad."
- Amico hears from multiple league sources that Bynum's problems with the Sixers may not have been entirely health-related, with several of those sources hinting at a friction between Bynum and the organization.
- Whether or not they land Bynum, the Cavs may be open to moving a power forward, says Amico, noting that Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson, Earl Clark, Anthony Bennett, and Kevin Jones are all capable of playing the position.
- While the Cavs' offer to Bynum has been reported as a two-year deal, only one year is guaranteed, and the second year is a team option. According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, Bynum's camp is hoping to land a deal with a little more security than that.
- Although Bynum may be seeking more security, his market could be opened up a little if he'd agree to a clause that protects teams in the event of recurring knee injuries, says Kyler. Brandon Roy signed such a deal with Minnesota a year ago, making the second year of his deal non-guaranteed when his knee problems flared up again. If Bynum would consider such a deal, several teams would consider signing him, writes Kyler.
Odds & Ends: Kings, Tolliver, Lakers, Ellis
After a bid to relocate the NBA's Kings failed, Seattle-based investors also reportedly explored the possibility of moving the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes to the city. Although the franchise appears to be staying put in Phoenix, Seattle wasn't the only city interested in relocating it. According to Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com, Paul Allen and the Trail Blazers were also interested in buying the Coyotes and moving the team to Portland's Rose Garden.
Here are more odds and ends from around the NBA on a very busy Wednesday:
- The Kings have named high-ranking NBA executive Chris Granger as their new team president, according to Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. Granger, who had been the executive VP of team marketing and business operations for the NBA, will oversee the team's role in the development of a new downtown sports arena and its business operations, says Lillis. It doesn't sound like Granger will be involved much, if at all, in the Kings' basketball operations.
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (via Twitter) that Anthony Tolliver is in talks with five teams, including the Hawks, and hopes to make a decision soon.
- The Lakers have had conversations with Josh Powell's representative, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. McMenamin adds in a second tweet that the team has also spoken to a couple more former Lakers: Sasha Vujacic and Lamar Odom.
- As Monta Ellis continues to seek a free agent deal, there doesn't appear to be a clear favorite to sign him, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. News broke today that Ellis has parted ways with his longtime agent.
- Elton Brand and Brandan Wright are still talking to the Mavericks about a potential return, but Rodrigue Beaubois is almost certainly headed elsewhere, as GM Donnie Nelson told reporters today, including Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com.
- Before he agreed to sign with the Bobcats, Al Jefferson received interest from the Mavericks and Pelicans, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.