Wizards Bring Back Otto Porter
The Wizards have officially matched the offer sheet which was extended to Otto Porter by the Brooklyn Nets, according to the team’s website. The team did not disclose the details of the contract, but it’ll be a four-year, $106.5MM deal, according to a previous report. 
“After two years at Georgetown and four years with the Wizards here in Washington, D.C., I’m excited to be staying home,” said Porter. “I want our great fans to know that I will continue to work hard to improve my game in all areas and I hope to make an even bigger contribution to the Wizards’ success in the future.”
Porter had a career year during the 2016/17 season. He shot 43.4% from long-range, a figure which ranked fourth in the league.
“Otto has developed into a vital part of our young core, which is why we made it clear that our priority was to keep him here to maintain continuity and build on the success of this group heading into next season and beyond,” team president Ernie Grunfeld said. “His versatility, basketball IQ and three-point shooting combine to make him a great fit for us on the floor while his character and work in the community show why we’re so pleased to have him as a cornerstone of our franchise.”
The deal will reportedly include a 15% trade kicker and a player option for the fourth season. The former No.3 overall pick will also receive half of his salary by October 1st of each year, which is the maximum allowed. Porter is now the team’s highest-paid player.
Kings Sign Vince Carter
JULY 10th, 6:00pm: The signing is official, according to a team press release.
JULY 6, 7:36pm: The Kings have agreed to a one-year, $8MM deal with Vince Carter, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link).
The 40-year-old swingman previously said he would like to play two more seasons in the league. Many assumed he would opt to join a contender in hopes of winning a ring. Instead, he’ll join Sacramento and become a veteran mentor for its young squad.
Carter isn’t the only veteran the Kings have added this week. George Hill and Zach Randolph both agreed to come to Sacramento. The organization has eight players on rookie contracts, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks tweets, so balancing the roster with veterans seems to be the team’s latest priority.
Carter played a key role for Memphis during the final year of a three-year contract last season. He averaged 8.0 points, 3.1 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.
Photo Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
David Griffin Withdraws Name From Knicks’ GM Search
David Griffin spoke with the Knicks about becoming the team’s next GM, but those talks have ended without a deal materializing, Marc. J. Spears of the Undefeated reports (ESPN Now link). Spears adds that Griffin pulled his name from consideration after he and the team couldn’t come to an agreement on the right role.
It was previously reported that the Knicks were opposed to letting Griffin bring in the same front office staff he had in Cleveland. The organization has several longstanding front office members and it didn’t want to displace many of those executives.
Team executive Steve Mills, who met with Griffin over the weekend, has been handling GM duties on an interim basis since the franchise fired Phil Jackson. New York hasn’t made any substantial player personnel moves this offseason with the exception of signing Tim Hardaway Jr. to a four-year, $71MM deal.
Raptors Sign First-Round Pick OG Anunoby
The Raptors have signed OG Anunoby to a rookie scale deal, according to the team’s Twitter feed. The exact terms were not disclosed, but assuming he signed for 120% of the rookie scale, he’ll make slightly more than $9.75MM over the next four seasons.
The small forward suffered a knee injury part way through his sophomore season at Indiana and it certainly impacted his draft spot. He was expected to be a lottery pick coming into the draft process but ended up going No. 23 overall to Toronto.
It’s unlikely that Anunoby is ready to begin the season, though according to an earlier report, he should be able to get on the court at some point before 2018. Toronto’s wing rotation is currently in flux after losing P.J. Tucker in free agency and trading away DeMarre Carroll to the Nets. The Raptors were able to bring in C.J. Miles via a sign-and-trade, but depth arguably still remains the team’s biggest weakness. Anunoby should be able to help with that once he recovers from his injury.
The Missouri native was impressive on the defensive end during his 16 games with the Hoosiers. He had at least one block or steal in every game he played.
Heat Officially Sign James Johnson
July 7, 7:47pm: The Heat have officially re-signed Johnson, the team announced over Twitter.
July 6, 10:00 PM: Johnson’s deal will be for four years and $60MM, Michael Scotto of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter links). Scotto adds that the contract contains a player option in the fourth season.
7:59 PM: The Heat and James Johnson have agreed on the framework of a four-year deal, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Johnson was widely expected to return to Miami.
Johnson floated around the league before signing a one-year deal with the Heat last offseason. He played a key role for Miami, earning 27.4 minutes per contest while serving as the team’s top perimeter defender.
The 30-year-old averaged double-digit scoring for the first time in his career (12.8 PPG) in 2016/17, and set new career-highs in RPG (4.9), APG (3.6), and 3PT% (.340).
The Heat struck out on bigger stars, such as Gordon Hayward, but rebounded by bringing in Kelly Olynyk and re-signing their own free agents.
The organization needs to clear cap space to accommodate lucrative deals for Olynyk, Johnson and Dion Waiters, and the team is working on moving Josh McRoberts to the Mavericks in order to do so.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Jazz, Celtics Discuss Hayward Sign-And-Trade
JULY 7, 8:29am: As of Thursday night, sign-and-trade talks between the Celtics and Jazz had been “dormant” for most of the day, per Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN (Twitter link). Boston continues to explore other trade options involving Crowder, Smart, and/or Bradley.
JULY 6, 3:28pm: The Celtics and Jazz appear to be getting closer to a sign-and-trade agreement that would involve Crowder, says Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald. According to Murphy, any deal is expected to be more than just Hayward for Crowder, since the Celtics would want something else in return, but details on assets aren’t currently known.
JULY 5, 11:14pm: Hayward and his agent, Mark Bartelstein, will help facilitate a sign-and-trade, according to Jones. When asked about the possibility of making the swap, GM Dennis Lindsey said that the team “would never comment on any trade speculation.”
8:31pm: The Celtics and Jazz have engaged in discussions on a trade that involves sending Hayward to Boston via sign-and-trade in exchange for Crowder, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com tweets.
7:39pm: The Jazz are open to working out a sign-and-trade agreement with the Celtics which would send Gordon Hayward to Boston, according to Tony Jones of the Salt Lake Tribune. Jones adds that Utah is only willing to accept a deal as long as Hayward signs off on it.
The small forward agreed to a max deal with the Celtics on Tuesday, though the team currently does not have the cap space to make that lucrative of an offer. Boston is looking to deal either Jae Crowder, Marcus Smart or Avery Bradley in order to make room for Hayward.
The Celtics most likely could garner significant value in a trade for any of the aforementioned players. While it’s possible that the team sends one of the three to Utah in a sign-and-trade for Hayward, such a move would be peculiar since it could likely fetch more in a trade with another club. Jones adds via Twitter that Boston may agree to such a move if Hayward told them it was a condition for him to sign with the club.
And-Ones: Clark, Shved, Bogdanovic
Add Warriors guard Ian Clark to the list of wing players who interest the Timberwolves, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News. C.J. Miles remains their prime target, but Minnesota doesn’t have enough cap room left to make a competitive offer. The Wolves have discussed a sign-and-trade that would send center Cole Aldrich and Oklahoma City’s 2018 first-rounder to Indiana in exchange for Miles, according to an ESPN report.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Alexey Shved may void the final year of his contract with Khimki Moscow in order to return to the NBA, a source tells international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). Shved last played in the NBA for the Knicks during the 2014/15 campaign.
- The Kings are covering all of Bogdan Bogdanovic‘s $850K NBA buyout with Fenerbahce, a source tells Pick (Twitter link). Sacramento signed the swingman to a three-year deal worth $27MM, which is the richest contract for a rookie in league history.
- Phil Ricci will join the Kings’ coaching staff as an assistant player development coach, James Ham of NBC Sports tweets. Ricci played professionally abroad for several seasons before coaching at the high school level.
- Grizzlies GM Chris Wallace has penned a thank you letter to Zach Randolph for his contributions over the past eight years. The note, which is posted on the team’s website, credits Randolph for helping to establish Memphis’ “grit and grind” identity. Randolph agreed to a two-year, $24MM deal with the Kings on Tuesday. The Grizzlies also announced today that Randolph’s number will be retired.
Arthur Hill contributed to this post
Knicks Sign Tim Hardaway To Offer Sheet
Tim Hardaway Jr. has signed an offer sheet from the Knicks, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com tweets that the deal is for $71MM over four years.
The deal contains a player option on the final year of the deal, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today adds (Twitter link). ESPN’s Ian Begley tweets that the contract contains a 15% trade kicker. The Hawks will have two days to make a decision on whether or not to match all the terms of the deal.
New York currently doesn’t have the cap space to make this lucrative of an offer. However, the organization has an easy path to opening up cap space in that it can simply renounce the rights to Derrick Rose, as ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link). Rose has a cap hold of approximately $29.7MM.
Hardaway Jr. was drafted by New York with the No. 24 pick in the 2013 draft. The Knicks traded him to the Hawks in a 2015 draft night trade that netted them Jerian Grant. Grant was traded to the Bulls during the following offseason as part of a package that brought Rose to the Big Apple.
Tim Hardaway Sr. tells Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link) that his son has no “bad blood” with the organization. The shooting guard knows that the executive who traded him is no longer with the organization.
Heat, Mavs Nearing Josh McRoberts Trade
7:54pm: The Mavericks will use a trade exception to absorb McRoberts’ salary, tweets Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. Dallas has a $6.6MM+ TPE that would fit McRoberts’ $6MM+ salary. The use of that exception signals that the Mavs intend to function as an over-the-cap team for now.
Meanwhile, Charania’s full report on the proposed deal also notes that the Mavs will receive cash from the Heat.
7:12pm: The Heat are working to trade Josh McRoberts to the Mavericks as they look to clear salary, Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com tweets. Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter links) that Dallas will send A.J. Hammons to Miami in exchange for the power forward.
The Mavericks will also receive a future second-round pick from Miami, Charania adds. The Heat have already traded their second-round picks in each of the next four seasons, meaning the earliest pick Miami could offer would be the 2022 selection.
By removing McRoberts’ salary, which is approximately $6.02MM for the 2017/18 campaign, the Heat should be able to fit in the already agreed upon deals for Dion Waiters and Kelly Olynyk as well as a new contract for James Johnson, something that the team is still working on. Moving the Duke product should also allow the team to keep Wayne Ellington on the roster.
The Heat also have interest in bringing back Luke Babbitt, and figure to keep his cap hold on their books so that they can retain his Bird rights.
Wizards Receive Otto Porter’s Offer Sheet From Nets
The Wizards have received Otto Porter‘s four-year, $106.5MM offer sheet from the Nets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal contains a player option on the final year and ESPN’s Zach Lowe reports (Twitter link) that the contract includes a 15% trade kicker.
Porter’s deal has a peculiar wrinkle in it that will have him collect 50% of his annual salary by October 1 every season, Lowe tweets. Such an arrangement is not common in the NBA. ESPN’s Bobby Marks notes (Twitter link) that the 50% threshold is the maximum allowed under the CBA.
Tim Bontemps of the Washington Post reports that the Wizards not only plan on matching — they also tie up Brooklyn’s cap space for as long as possible. The deadline for the team to match is July 8 at midnight, but Porter still needs to pass a physical with the Wizards and he’ll have two days to do so once Washington matches the offer.
At that point, Washington would have two days to announce that Porter has passed the physical. That means the Georgetown product’s offer sheet could theoretically stay on the Brooklyn’s cap through July 12.
[RELATED: Nets, Otto Porter agree to max offer sheet; Wizards plan to match]
The Wizards – one of three franchises (along with Charlotte and New Orleans) to never pay the tax – will be over the luxury tax line once they match the offer sheet. The club now intends to complete its reported deal with Jodie Meeks using part of the taxpayer mid-level exception rather than the bi-annual exception, to avoid being hard-capped.
The Nets have been aggressive with restricted free agents since Sean Marks took over GM duties. Last year, the team presented Allen Crabbe, Tyler Johnson, and Donatas Motiejunas with lucrative offer sheets, but didn’t ultimately land any of those players.
Brooklyn isn’t the only team that was hoping to steal Porter away from Washington. The Kings presented Porter with a max offer last weekend, though the small forward decided to meet with other teams before signing. Sacramento then went in another direction, using most of its available cap room on Zach Randolph and George Hill.