Blazers Waive James Southerland
The Blazers have placed James Southerland on waivers, the team announced (on Twitter). Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who was the first to report the the move, tweets that the swingman will ink a new deal overseas now that he’s officially been waived. Wojnarowski doesn’t specify where Southerland intends to sign, but he writes that the new pact will cover the length of the NBA season.
Southerland agreed to join Portland for camp on a non-guaranteed deal in August after the Pelicans opted not to bring him back for the 2014/15 season. The 24-year-old out of Syracuse saw limited action in his first NBA campaign last year, playing in a total of just 30 minutes across four games between time for the then-Bobcats and Pelicans. He didn’t appear in any of the Blazers’ first three preseason games.
It seemed like a long shot that Southerland would stick around long enough to make the opening night roster, given that Portland is already carrying the league maximum of 15 guaranteed contracts, as our list of roster counts shows. Darius Morris and Diante Garrett now stand as the only players left on the Blazers without guaranteed deals, and they seem to like strong candidates to be cut before the season as well.
Texas Notes: Parsons, Black, Cuban
We’re just three weeks away from opening night in the NBA, when the Mavs will square off against the Spurs in a matchup between two teams from the Lone Star State. San Antonio might look like a preseason favorite to take home a second consecutive title, but a fantastic offseason in Dallas should mean the Mavs have a shot themselves at making some serious noise in the West. Let’s have a look at the latest out of Texas:
- Earlier today, Marc Stein of ESPN.com rounded up the events that led to Chandler Parsons‘ departure from the Rockets this summer. The 25-year-old forward suited up against his former club tonight to kick off his career with the Mavs, but he said the game didn’t carry any extra meaning despite who he was facing, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle transcribes. “Just because it’s them, it’s a little different because I know those guys and it’s the first time we play against them,” said Parsons. “But at the end of the day, it’s a chance to see where we stand right now.”
- Rockets coach Kevin McHale won’t rush to determine which players will fit into the club’s regular rotation, Feigen writes in a separate piece. Reserves Ish Smith, Jeff Adrien, and Tarik Black have been particularly impressive, Feigen hears. Black is the only member of the group on a non-guaranteed pact, and Houston is already carrying the league max of 15 guaranteed deals. However, his solid performance in camp might speak well of Black’s chances to make an NBA club, even if it’s not in Houston.
- There have been rumblings that some superstar players might want maximum contracts taken out of the next CBA, and Mark Cuban suggests such an idea might not be out of the question if the players are willing to forfeit some guaranteed money and agree to allow contract structures similar to the ones found in the NFL. Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com has all the details.
Latest Takes On NBA’s New TV Contracts
The NBA’s lucrative new television deal might actually lower the probability of a work stoppage in 2017, opines Salary Cap FAQ author Larry Coon (Insider link via ESPN.com). The owners shut down the league in 2011 because so many clubs found themselves in the red, and the league’s business model at the time was “unsustainable,” as Coon puts it. He suggests the latest TV deal might mean the owners are more willing to find a middle ground with the Player’s Association during seemingly imminent negotiations for a new CBA that would keep the NBA schedule at 82 games.
While Coon still says it’s still very likely the NBAPA opts to negotiate with the owners for a new CBA in 2017, he writes that the odds of a lockout halting regular season play are lower than they were in 2011. Nothing is set in stone yet, and a lot can still happen in the next two years, but Coon’s take on the 2017 labor negotiations is surely a refreshing one for fans around the Association. We’ll round up more on the TV deal below and highlight a few players’ reactions to the news..
- Adam Silver wouldn’t say whether the new TV deal would ensure that every team is profitable, but if the league argues that teams are losing money during the next collective bargaining agreement negotiations, LeBron James says the union won’t buy that argument. “That won’t fly,” James told reporters, including Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
- Nets guard Deron Williams says NBA players should prepare for another lockout in the wake of the league’s monstrous new TV deal, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “I think it’s going in pretty much the same direction as it was last time (lockout of 2011),” said Williams, who is the Nets’ union rep. “So I feel like we made a lot of concessions last time, and it’s going to be hard for us to do that again. With the new leadership we have and (former NBAPA president Billy Hunter) finally being out of the picture, which is a great thing, hopefully things will go better for us.”
- Williams isn’t alone in his thinking, as Kings forward Carl Landry shared the same sentiment as his fellow union rep, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. “We’re excited and we’re preparing ourselves for a possible lockout again,” said Landry, “Anything is possible, but that (television deal) definitely helps us out.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.
L.A. Notes: Salary Cap, Scott, Young, Rivers
Few teams have a greater opportunity to benefit from the NBA’s latest television deal than the Lakers, as Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times explains. The new TV agreement means the cap will likely rise significantly in the summer of 2016, when Los Angeles will only have $4.3MM in guaranteed salary. Of course, that number will increase over the course of the next two years, but with several big name free agents slated to enter free agency at that time, the Lakers will have a great shot to capitalize on the higher salary cap. Here’s more from Los Angeles:
- Coach Byron Scott was effusive in his praise of Ronnie Price‘s camp performance so far as the point guard looks to make the Lakers opening-night roster on a non-guaranteed deal, observes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Kobe Bryant has seemingly been in Price’s corner, too.
- Nick Young will be sidelined for six to eight weeks following surgery to repair a torn thumb ligament, the Lakers announced. The injury further thins out the cast of small forwards available in Lakerland, with Ryan Kelly and Xavier Henry also battling health issues as the regular season approaches.
- Clippers coach and president Doc Rivers says that front office people around the league expected a new TV deal but added the influx of revenue wasn’t a factor in how the Clippers did business this summer, writes Dan Woike of The Orange County Register.
Chuck Myron and Zach Links contributed to this post.
Central Rumors: Thompson, Marion, Turner
The Cavs haven’t spoken with agent Rich Paul about an extension for Tristan Thompson, as Chris Haynes of the Plain Dealer hears, but it’s not necessarily a sign that the sides don’t intend to strike a deal before the October 31st deadline to do so, Haynes indicates. Let’s wrap up more from the Cavs and the Central:
- Shawn Marion explains that the Cavs‘ acquisition of Kevin Love convinced him to spurn more lucrative offers from other clubs and sign with Cleveland, according to Jason Lloyd of the Beacon Journal.
- Cavs GM David Griffin admits LeBron James was critical in Cleveland’s success in recruiting other big name players this summer, as Lloyd details in the same piece. “You couldn’t have a better recruiter than LeBron James,” Griffin said. “When you cut LeBron loose in a free agency path, you tend to get results you don’t get otherwise. To say he’s been an amazing partner this offseason would be a gross understatement.”
- The Pacers and Evan Turner never attempted to negotiate a new deal that would have brought the former second overall pick back to Indiana for the 2014/15 season, reports Andrew Perna of RealGM (on Twitter). “We both just decided to go our separate ways,“ said Turner.
- Greg Monroe‘s decision to sign his qualifying offer means he will be an unrestricted free agent next summer, but he says that doesn’t necessarily mean that he wants to leave the Pistons, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit News. Monroe also dismissed the notion that he doesn’t like to play alongside Josh Smith, according to Ellis (Twitter link).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Notes: Bogans, Garnett, Grant, ‘Melo
There’s no guarantee that Keith Bogans will play a game for the Sixers this season, as Philly GM Sam Hinkie suggested to reporters, including Tom Moore of Calkins Media (Twitter link), that the Sixers might choose to waive Bogans’ recently acquired non-guaranteed contract rather than keep him around to mentor the club’s young talent. There’s more on the Sixers below amid tonight’s look at the Atlantic:
- The contract that Jerami Grant signed with the Sixers is a multi-year pact, according to the RealGM transactions log. Financial terms still haven’t been disclosed, but Grant is likely in line to receive the minimum salary.
- Kevin Garnett admitted that while he considered retirement two summers ago, the idea of hanging it up didn’t cross his mind this offseason, as Robert Windrem of Nets Daily passes along. Garnett will enter his second campaign with the Nets, and his 20th season in the NBA.
- Although Carmelo Anthony admits that he would have had a better shot to win a title this season if he had signed with another team, he says that leaving the Knicks would have left a bad taste in his mouth, notes Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press. “From a basketball standpoint it probably would’ve been maybe the greatest thing to do, but for me personally I wouldn’t have felt right with myself,” ‘Melo said, “knowing that I wanted to come here, I kind of forced my way here to New York and I have some unfinished business to take care of.”
Southwest Rumors: Jefferson, Mavs, Babbitt
Richard Jefferson admits that while other teams around the league offered him a chance at more playing time and a more lucrative paycheck, he decided to sign with the Mavs because he believes they give him the best chance at winning, as Michael Florek of the Dallas Morning News details. “We have a chance here,” said Jefferson, “Obviously you need to be lucky. You need things to go the right way, have the ball bounce your way, but I believe this was my best chance to win and win now.”
Here’s more from the Southwest:
- Mark Cuban responded to the critical comments made by Rockets GM Daryl Morey, suggesting Morey’s assertion that free agents would prefer to play in Houston over Dallas is flawed. “I’m not sure how he would know that,” said the outspoken owner of the Mavs, who reminded Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that the Rockets have won only a single a playoff series since 1997.
- The Rockets had to scrap Kostas Papanikolaou‘s contract and re-sign him, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. The NBA rejected the original agreement, and it’s unclear if any significant changes have been made to the structure of the deal.
- Luke Babbitt was held out of Summer League play by the Pelicans because there was a chance he’d be dealt to the Rockets in the then-looming Omer Asik trade, writes Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune (on Twitter).
Cray Allred contributed to this post.
Central Rumors: Turiaf, Blatt, Bucks, Augustin
The Cavs are still looking to add a big man to their roster, as we passed along earlier tonight. Ronny Turiaf might be an appealing trade target for Cleveland, observes Jerry Zgoda of the Star-Tribune (on Twitter). The center is a favorite of new Cavs power forward Kevin Love, according to Zgoda. We’ll round up more on Cleveland and the Central below:
- David Blatt‘s first season coaching the Cavs will be less stressful with talent like Love and LeBron James on the roster, as Blatt tells Chris Fedor of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. “Things get a lot easier when LeBron James and Kevin Love come walking into your door,” Blatt said. “It makes my job easier, maybe my responsibility greater but the job easier in terms of having to teach (James) what to do and not to do.”
- There’s optimism within Milwaukee that the city has the political pieces in place to satisfy the Bucks‘ quest for a new arena, as David Aldridge of NBA.com passes along in his Morning Tip column. Acquiring a top flight talent like Eric Bledsoe would only aid the Bucks in their mission, opines Aldridge,
- NBA deputy commissioner Mark Tatum was in Milwaukee last week to meet with the Mayor and the Bucks’ new owners, according to Aldridge, who adds that the group spent time identifying potential locations in the city for a new arena.
- Pistons president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy was pleasantly surprised that his club was able to afford D.J. Augustin this summer, reports Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Detroit inked the guard to a two-year, $6MM contract in July.
Nets Notes: Pierce, King, Kidd
The Nets are looking to bounce back from a disappointing loss to Miami in the Conference Semifinals, but they’ll have to move forward into the new season without Paul Pierce, who spurned Brookyln to sign a deal with the Wizards earlier this summer. The Nets and Pierce couldn’t reach an agreement on a new contract, and we’ve detailed the reasons why below, amid tonight’s look at the latest out of Brooklyn..
- Nets GM Billy King said money was a factor in the team’s decision not to re-sign Pierce and acknowledged that the team is trying to reign in its spending as he spoke to reporters, including Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. “We did [want to bring Pierce back]. That was the plan of attack and I think as we started negotiating, the numbers that they asked for were, you know,” King said. “And I thought at one point that he was definitely leaving. And then you started switching gears because you start hearing that he’s going to end up at a different place. So then you start preparing. And then when he came back to us [to try to negotiate again], we already moved on.”
- Furthermore, Jason Kidd‘s departure from the Nets had no bearing on Pierce’s decision to skip town, according to Robert Windrem of NetsDaily, who hears that the 36-year-old initially sought a two-year deal worth $10MM from Brooklyn (Twitter link). The Nets weren’t about to shell out that much, and they were also concerned about his deteriorated defensive abilities, Windrem says.
- The Nets expect to finish as a top four team in the East, tweets Rod Boone of Newsday, noting that Brooklyn had the same goal last season. An improved Eastern Conference will challenge the Nets’ chances, but Brooklyn will have an opportunity to improve on last year’s sixth-place finish if its players can stay healthy.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Southwest Rumors: Leonard, Mohammed, Asik
Kawhi Leonard isn’t making any promises about signing an extension with the Spurs before the October 31st deadline for him to do so, but he tells Jabari Young of the San Antonio News-Express that he’s pleased with the other moves the team made this summer. He expressed particular satisfaction with new deals for Boris Diaw and Patty Mills, as well as Tony Parker‘s extension. “I’m happy about that just in case the Spurs do extend me and if I am a Spur for life,” Leonard said. “That’s a great thing to know that Tony will be there.” Let’s have a look at the latest from the Southwest:
- Nazr Mohammed had expressed interest in returning to the Spurs for the 2014/15 season, but San Antonio clearly didn’t reciprocate the feeling, Young tweets. Mohammed, who won a championship with the Spurs in 2005, re-signed with the Bulls on minimum-salary contract this afternoon.
- While taking on Omer Asik‘s bloated contract is definitely a risk for the Pelicans, Jimmy Smith of the Times-Picayune thinks New Orleans potentially stands to reap some major benefits from the decision. Specifically, Smith thinks Asik’s presence will help alleviate the pressure placed on Anthony Davis, who otherwise received the brunt of opposing teams’ attention last year in a less-than-stellar frontcourt.
- Some of the advice that helped Kostas Papanikolaou decide to sign with Houston came from former Rockets shooting guard and fellow Greek native Vassilis Spanoulis, an unlikely source given the frustration Spanoulis felt upon his exit from the team. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has the details.
- The Mavericks had a busy offseason, and it’s one that Jae Crowder believes will push Dallas to the next level of competition, as Dwain Price of the Star-Telegram transcribes. “I feel like we picked up some championship-level pieces,” Crowder said. “I’m not just blowing gas… “One thing Cuban was talking about was just having a good mix of older guys and younger guys, and I feel like that’s exactly what they did this summer with bringing in a good group of guys.”
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.