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Free Agent Rumors: Flynn, Heat, Mahinmi

July 10th, 2012 at 10:15pm CST by Luke Adams

We're less than 14 hours away from the July moratorium coming to an end and this season's signing period beginning in earnest. As of 11:00pm central time tonight, teams can officially sign free agents, trades can be consummated, and players can sign contract extensions. In the meantime, free agents have one more day to try to reach contract agreements before clubs start finalizing the moves they've agreed to over the last week and a half. We'll track today's rumors on free agents here, with the newest updates up top:

Jonny Flynn has worked out for the Hawks and will visit the Bulls on Friday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Count the Cavs as another team interested in the point guard's services.
Look for the Heat to add a minimum-scale big man, such as Kwame Brown or Joel Przybilla, as they finish up their offseason spending, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link) hears from NBA officials that the Bucks have some interest in Ian Mahinmi.

Earlier updates:

Hawks Sign John Jenkins

July 10th, 2012 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have signed first-round pick John Jenkins to a rookie scale contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). Atlanta selected the Vanderbilt shooter with the 23rd overall pick in the June draft.

The rookie scale amount for Jenkins' slot is slightly over $1MM, so the 21-year-old will earn a first-year salary worth a little more than $1.2MM if he signs for the full 120% allowed. Because first-rounders can sign during the moratorium, Jenkins' deal can be finalized immediately.

Free Agent Rumors: Wallace, Grizzlies, Fisher

July 9th, 2012 at 10:28pm CST by Luke Adams

We're into the home stretch of the July moratorium, and it won't be long before all the moves that have been agreed upon in the last week are made official. In the meantime, teams have two more days to prepare for the next stage of free agency, and the rumors continue to swirl. You can track all of the contract agreements to date using our Free Agent Tracker, and you can follow many of today's free agent rumors right here, with the latest up top….

There's a "pretty good chance" that Ben Wallace will return to the Pistons next season, a source tells Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News.
A source told The Commercial Appeal (via Twitter) that it's unlikely that the Grizzlies will sign Russian guard Alexey Shved. Shved allegedly received offers from the Grizzlies, Cavs, and T'Wolves.
However, the Grizzlies are working to bring veteran guard Willie Green to Memphis, The Commercial Appeal tweets. The soon-to-be 31-year-old averaged 7.6 PPG last year for the Hawks.

Earlier updates:

A source with knowledge of Derek Fisher's free agency situation told Sam Amick of SI (via Twitter) that a return to the Thunder is possible, but the Cavs are the frontrunner at the moment. The Nets and Mavs are also possibilities but the Bulls and Knicks have gone in different directions (Kirk Hinrich and Jason Kidd, respectively).
Antawn Jamison told David Scott of the Charlotte Observer that he will probably decide "in a week or so" on whether he’ll finish his NBA career with the Bobcats. Aside from the Bobcats and the Warriors, the veteran says he'll probably only consider title contenders.
Courtney Lee confirmed he's interested in the Celtics, but said they're one of eight teams with interest in him, and added that the money has to be right (Twitter link via Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe).
Aaron Brooks has yet to talk to anyone but the Rockets, he tells Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
The Mavericks have talked to Brazilian center Rafael Hettsheimeir, according to Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com. However, while a Portuguese report suggests Dallas has made a contract offer, the Mavs have yet to do so, says Caplan.
Yi Jianlian is drawing interest from Panathinaikos and other teams overseas, but he remains focused on signing an NBA deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Meanwhile, after spending the 2011/12 season in Greece, Joey Dorsey is drawing interest from some NBA teams, tweets Wojnarowski.
The Mavericks are expected to resume talks with unrestricted free agent point guard Ramon Sessions today, reports Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com.
Courtney Lee met with the Celtics this weekend and Boston is interested in a sign-and-trade for him, but a number of other teams have Lee on their radar as well. Between ESPN.com's Marc Stein and SI.com's Sam Amick, the following teams are listed as suitors for Lee: The Timberwolves, Hawks, Pacers, Mavericks, Suns, Bulls, and Wizards.
According to Stein (Twitter link), Rockets coach Kevin McHale met with free agent point guard Aaron Brooks on Sunday night.

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Blazers Notes: Leonard, Batum, Barton

July 9th, 2012 at 10:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, Portland General Manager Neil Olshey disclosed that he plans to move from the free agent market to the trade market as it appears that Roy Hibbert will be staying put in Indiana. Here's more on the Blazers..

Odds & Ends: Miles, Magic, Celtics, Hawks

July 9th, 2012 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

With free agent news and rumors dominating the headlines over the last week, it's been easy to miss a number of other stories that have flown under the radar. One such story today: The Wizards have hired Don Newman as an assistant coach under Randy Wittman. A longtime NBA assistant coach, Newman has spent the last seven years on the Spurs' bench in San Antonio, and represents a solid hire for Washington.

Here are a few more Monday afternoon odds and ends from around the league….

Dwight Howard Rumors: Sunday

July 8th, 2012 at 11:02pm CST by Michael Pina

11:02pm: The Magic, Nets and Cavs are in "serious talks" about a deal involving Dwight Howard and others, reports Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, who said Magic executives will meet Monday morning to determine if the deal is the right one, and an agreement could come sometime Monday (Twitter links). The Magic will complete "one last sweep" around the league before deciding whether to pull the trigger on the 11-player trade, says Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM.com (Twitter links). A key to the deal could be the willingness of the Cavs to take MarShon Brooks from the Nets, because the Magic isn't interested in the swingman, report Chris Broussard and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Many teams concerned about competitive balance are reluctant to facilitate a blockbuster deal, Broussard and Windhorst report, so the Magic and Nets must overcome that obstacle.

9:58pm: The Sixers are also a possibility to acquire Humphries as part of a three-team that would send Howard to the Nets, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld notes via Twitter. In an email to Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com, Sixers president Rod Thorn indicated a move may in the works, but declined to give details.

7:17pm: Mary Schmitt Boyer of The Plain Dealer says that there is nothing imminent between the Cavaliers and Humphries, which stifles some of the momentum of a Dwight to Nets deal for now. She also agrees with Adrian Wojnarowski in that the Cavaliers are using their interest in Humphries exclusively as a means of stockpiling assets and draft picks.

7:04pm: Following up his earlier tweet that a Nets deal was "very close", RealGM's Jarrod Rudolph acknowledges the chance that news is being "leaked" in order to get other teams to improve their trading bids to Orlando.

6:42pm: HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler tweeted earlier that the Hawks, Lakers, and Mavericks are also still involved in talks with the Magic. His latest tweet says that Atlanta's offer includes "luggage from the Joe Johnson deal."

6:35pm: ESPN's John Hollinger tweets that the Nets still have to sweeten the deal with the Cavaliers, as Cleveland would hypothetically be able to sign Humphries outright but have no interest in doing so.

6:28pm: Jarrod Rudolph of RealGM spoke with a source that says Nets GM Billy King is "very close" to acquiring Howard and that a deal could be completed "very soon" (Twitter link).

6:20pm: David Aldridge of NBA.com (via Twitter) addresses speculation of Cleveland's involvement in a deal, saying that there is "nothing substantive"with the Cavaliers right now. He also adds that the Nets are currently reaching out to "any team with room" in order to help facilitate a deal.

5:01pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweets that Andrew Bynum has shown no inclination to agree to an extension if he is sent to Orlando in exchange for Howard. Also, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld added (Twitter link) that in addition to the Cavaliers, the 76ers also remain candidates to be the thrid team involved in a deal that would send Howard to Brooklyn.

4:43pm: The Nets are "making progress" on finding a third team to take on Kris Humphries in a larger deal that would send Dwight Howard to Brooklyn, tweets CBSSports.com's Ken Berger.That third team might be the Cavaliers.

1:25pm: Earlier today we mentioned several reports saying that the Nets' main focus right now is to re-sign Brook Lopez and focus on what they can control. However, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, Brooklyn's upper management is instead still going hard after Dwight Howardwith a package centered around three first round draft picks.

The Nets have their own first round picks to offer in alternate years, but the other pick would likely come from a third team. In the rumored deal, Brook Lopez would join the three first round picks in Orlando, and Kris Humphries would be included in a sign-and-trade situation with that same third team.

Along with draft picks, the Magic are interested in jump starting their post-Howard era by unloading some of their less team friendly contracts. Whichever team makes a move for Howard's services would have to be willing to take on players such Jason Richardson and Hedo Turkoglu.

The Rockets are still in the hunt for Howard, and have a recently acquired lottery pick from Toronto, but if Houston is unable to land him it seems unlikely they'd arise as the third team willing to help Brooklyn build an appropriate package.

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Free Agent Rumors: Lucas, Camby, Lewis

July 8th, 2012 at 10:20pm CST by Daniel Seco

Jeff Green reached an agreement to remain with the Celtics on Saturday, while Aaron Brooks became an unrestricted free agent after the Suns withdrew their qualifying offer to the guard. What will Sunday bring? Here are the latest rumors on a number of free agents still on the market:

The Heat have interest in unrestricted free agent point guard John Lucas III, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
Marcus Camby's meeting with the Knicks today was "very positive," a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, and Zwerling hears that Camby is drawn to the Knicks because of his "great relationship" with GM Glen Grunwald.
"Everything went well" during the Heat's meeting with Rashard Lewis today, as Lewis' agent tells David Aldridge of TNT (Twitter link). Lewis has yet to make a decision, with the Knicks and Hawks still in the running, Aldridge says.

Earlier updates:

Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter) identifies the Nets and Knicks as the frontrunners in sign-and-trade talks to land Marcus Camby. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News says that in addition to meeting with the Knicks in Houston, Camby held a conference call with the Nets (Twitter link).
Ken Berger of CBS Sports tweets that Brandon Rush could be an option for the Timberwolves or Trail Blazers, whichever team loses out on Nicolas Batum. Also, Berger includes Shannon Brown in the mix of suitors for Courtney Lee, O.J. Mayo, and Lou Williams once the two-guard dust clears (Twitter link).
Jeff Caplan of ESPN Dallas says that the Mavericks will resume talks with Ramon Sessions on Monday. Along with Dallas, the Rockets appear to interest the free agent point guard because of the opportunity to start.
According to CBSSports.com's Ken Berger, the Knicks had a "very productive" meeting with Marcus Camby today.
The Magic still do not know if Spaniard Fran Vasquez will be joining the team next season,tweets CBSSports.com's Ken Berger. Vasquez was a lottery pick in 2005.
The Bulls will not pick up C.J. Watson's option, and are attempting to deal him before July 10th, tweets Hoopsworld.com's Alex Kennedy.
The Mavericks, Rockets, Knicks, Hawks, Suns, and Bucks are all interested in signing guard Randy Foye, tweets CBSSports.com's Ken Berger.
According to a tweet from the Boston Globe's Gary Washburn, Greg Stiemsma's agent said his client did not receive a $3MM offer sheet from the Timberwolves.
The Celtics are interested in Courtney Lee after meeting with the free agent shooting guard on Saturday night, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
Even with the addition of Hinrich, the Bulls have Michael Redd and Gerald Green on their radar, tweets Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald.
Brooklyn head coach Avery Johnson says the Nets' focus is to re-sign Brook Lopez as trading for Dwight Howard remains out of their control, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. The team has begun negotiating with Lopez on an extension, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
With Camby postponing a meeting with the Heat, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel considers the likelihood of signing Greg Oden similar to how the team added Eddy Curry last season.
The Knicks brass will meet with Marcus Camby in Houston on Sunday with hopes that the big man will land in New York to serve as a backup for Tyson Chandler, says Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Look for the Celtics to explore internal options to replace Ray Allen rather than spend excess money on players who may not prove to be a good fit in Boston, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
The Bucks have emerged as a potential landing spot for Kirk Hinrich as they look to improve their backcourt depth, tweets Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, but Milwaukee will have to look elsewhere as Hinrich reached a verbal agreement with the Bulls earlier on Sunday.

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Hawks Targeting Small Forwards

July 6th, 2012 at 4:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Hawks have agreed to trade away two of their starters already this offseason, in Joe Johnson and Marvin Williams. And while the team acquired a number of players in the Nets trade and a potential starting point guard in the Jazz deal, the team was left with a hole at the small forward position, where Williams and Johnson played last year. According to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution, that position is a top priority for the team in free agency.

Dwight Howard Rumors: Friday

July 6th, 2012 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

In yesterday's round-up of Dwight Howard rumors, we heard that the Nets and Magic were "still plugging away" in negotiations, and that the Magic are seeking cap relief in any deal. The Lakers also remain in the hunt, as Kobe Bryant would welcome the opportunity to play with Howard, even if he won't actively recruit him. As the Howard trade talks continue, we'll round up Friday's updates right here, with the latest items up top:

There hasn't been any movement on the Howard talks today, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). In addition to the Nets and Lakers, the Hawks, Mavericks, and Rockets remain in play, Berger adds.

Earlier updates:

Free Agent Rumors: Redd, Camby, Stiemsma

July 6th, 2012 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Brandon Roy, Jason Kidd, and Jamal Crawford were among the players to reach agreements with new clubs yesterday, while Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lin agreed to lucrative offer sheets that their current teams are expected to match. What will Friday bring? Here are the latest rumors on a number of free agents still on the market:

The Suns and Bulls are the two teams "most heavily in the mix" for Michael Redd, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
Marcus Camby will meet with the Heat tomorrow and the Knicks next, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Feigen adds that Camby likely won't meet with the Rockets until there's resolution on Omer Asik.

Earlier updates: