Bulls Sign Dwyane Wade
JULY 15, 8:56pm: The Bulls have issued a press release officially announcing their deal with Wade.
“We are thrilled that Dwyane has decided to come to Chicago,” Bulls GM Gar Forman said in a statement. “It’s not often you get the opportunity to add a three-time champion and 12-time All Star to your roster. We are delighted he has decided to become a Bull, as he provides a great veteran perspective on the court and in the locker room. He will be a tremendous fit with our team.”
JULY 6, 9:50pm: The deal includes a player option for the second year, Wojnarowski tweets.
8:30pm: Dwyane Wade has informed the Bulls that he plans to sign with the team, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Wade’s deal will be for $47MM over two seasons. Chicago was the only place Wade could see himself playing outside of Miami, as people close to the shooting guard told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal is pending, as Chicago will need to clear cap space to accommodate a significant contract for the 34-year-old.
The Bulls are working to trade Jose Calderon and Mike Dunleavy in an attempt to clear space. The team has a trade in place for Calderon, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune, and Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports via Twitter that the Nets could be a potential trade partner. The Bulls remain confident that they will be able to move Dunleavy before the night is over, Johnson adds on Twitter.
Wade felt the team no longer appreciated him and that, coupled with bitterness over contract talks, led to his departure, sources tell Wojnarowski. The Heat were unwilling to offer a third year, which also factored into Wade not re-signing. Wade is a Chicago native who grew up idolizing Michael Jordan, as Wojnarowski writes.
The Bulls believe having Wade on the roster will not only offer a more competitive team during the 2016/17 season, but it will also help them land a marquee free agent next summer, Johnson tweets. Johnson tweeted earlier in the day that Wade could choose the Bulls without a face-to-face meeting since he met with the team twice back in 2010.
The Heat selected Wade with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2003 draft. He led the team to three NBA titles and five Eastern Conference crowns. The 12-time All-Star will head to Chicago and join Jimmy Butler and newly signed point guard Rajon Rondo in the backcourt.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Grizzlies Sign Mike Conley To Five-Year Deal
JULY 14th, 3:13pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
JULY 1st, 6:00pm: The Grizzlies and Mike Conley have agreed to a max contract that will pay the point guard $153MM over the next five seasons, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The deal will be the largest in league history.
Stein previously reported that Conley and the Grizzlies would have an agreement in place by Saturday morning. Memphis was Conley’s likely landing spot all along, but the point guard had concerns about the team’s roster and wanted to see the front office be aggressive in its attempts to upgrade it. The team’s chances of re-signing the 28-year-old likely increased as a result of signing Chandler Parsons, as the duo reportedly spoken to one another about teaming up in Memphis.
The Mavericks appeared to be Memphis’ biggest threat in the Conley sweepstakes, but after Hassan Whiteside re-signed with Miami, it seemed unlikely that the Ohio State product would wind up in Dallas. The Rockets, Pelicans, Nets and Lakers were also identified as challengers to steal Conley away from the Grizzlies. All five teams will have to look elsewhere for a point guard in free agency.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nets, Justin Hamilton Agree To Deal
JULY 10, 7:36pm: The signing is official, the team announced on its website.
JULY 1, 7:44pm: The Nets and Justin Hamilton have agreed to a two-year deal worth $6MM, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports on Twitter. The contract is fully guaranteed as Hamilton’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, tells Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
Hamilton is a 7’0″ center who last played in the NBA for the Wolves during the 2014/15 campaign. He spent last season playing for Valencia Basket of the Liga ACB in Europe.
Before signing the big man, Brooklyn only had nine players under contract, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates. Hamilton is the second player whom the team has agreed to a deal with since free agency began. The team agreed to terms with Jeremy Lin early today.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bulls Send Mike Dunleavy To The Cavs
JULY 7th, 8:04pm: The trade is official, the Cavaliers announced.
JULY 6th, 9:06pm: The Bulls will send Mike Dunleavy to the Cavs, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Cleveland will use a trade exception to bring Dunleavy to the team, Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). LeBron James personally recruited Dunleavy as a free agent last summer, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune mentions on Twitter.
The Bucks were also in pursuit of the veteran small forward, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. Chicago needed to shed salary after agreeing to a deal with Dwyane Wade.
The defending champs were reportedly looking for a wing player this summer and Dunleavy should be a nice addition. He shot 39.4% from downtown in 31 games for the Bulls last season.
Knicks Sign Marshall Plumlee
JULY 7: Plumlee’s agency, Priority Sports, has officially announced the big man’s deal with the Knicks (via Twitter). According to Michael Scotto of The Associated Press (via Twitter), the contract is for three years, and is fully guaranteed in year one.
JUNE 24: The Knicks and Marshall Plumlee have agreed to a free agent deal, Shams Charania of the Vertical reports (Twitter link). The details of his contract are not available yet, though Charania reports that Plumlee’s salary will be guaranteed.
Plumlee was the 81st-best prospect in this year’s class, according to Jonathan Givony of Draft Express. He averaged 8.3 points and 8.6 rebounds per game during his senior season at Duke.
The Knicks had only five players under contract entering today, as the team’s depth chart at Roster Resource indicates. The team came to terms with Ron Baker earlier today, which, along with Plumlee’s agreement, brings the roster count to seven.
Blazers Meet With Festus Ezeli
The Blazers are meeting with Festus Ezeli today in Portland, according to Marc. J Spears of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Ezeli arrived in Portland wearing red and black and told Jason Quick of Comcast Sportsnet that the team has “something brewing here,” as Quick passes along via Twitter.
Portland has already agreed to a four-year deal worth roughly $70MM with Evan Turner. It also has maintained that it would match any offer for Allen Crabbe, but it’s not clear whether or not they will match the reported $70MM deal that Crabbe reportedly agreed to with the Nets. An Ezeli signing could indicate that the Blazers don’t intend to match Crabbe’s deal since signing all three to significant contracts would require the team to make additional moves, although that is merely my speculation.
Ezeli became an unrestricted free agent after the Warriors renounced his rights earlier this week. He saw only 16.7 minutes per game last season, but he impressed, sporting a 17.7 player efficiency rating while shooting 54.8% from the field.
Free Agent Notes: Rondo, Wolves, Gasol
The Pelicans could still make a push for signing Rajon Rondo even after securing an agreement with E’Twaun Moore, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. Reid acknowledges that there are other teams in the mix for Rondo and New Orleans appears to be a long-shot. There were conflicting reports on Friday as to whether the team was interested in Rondo.
Reid confirms an earlier report that the Pelicans were interested in Jeremy Lin, but the point guard’s price was too steep for the team. Lin signed a three-year, $36MM deal with Brooklyn on Friday.
Here’s more from around the league during this crazy start to free agency:
- The Wolves had interest in Luol Deng before he signed with the Lakers and they made calls to both Pau Gasol and Kent Bazemore before the latter signed with Atlanta, Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune writes. The team would also like to add depth and has interest in Randy Foye, Willie Reed, Courtney Lee, Kris Humphries, Jamal Crawford, Brandon Bass, and Ian Mahinmi.
- The Thunder have also expressed interest in Reed, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
- Amar’e Stoudemire would be interested in returning to the Knicks, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. “If they want to bring me back, that would be a nice opportunity,” Stoudemire said.
- The Lakers bumped up Deng’s offer to $18MM per season after Bazemore turned down the same offer, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link).
- Ish Smith‘s new deal with the Pistons will pay him $5.7MM in year one, $6MM in year two and $6.3MM in the final season, per Rod Beard of the Detroit News (Twitter link).
- Former first-round pick Jan Vesely has interest from NBA teams, but it will take a starting salary of $11-12MM to bring him stateside, Net Income of SB Nation tweets.
- Rade Zagorac is negotiating a deal to play overseas with Red Star Belgrade, international journalist David Pick tweets. The Grizzlies acquired the No.35 overall pick in a deal with the Celtics on draft night.
- Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News takes a look at who the Mavericks can still get in free agency.
Latest On Al Horford, Celtics
The Celtics will meet with Al Horford later tonight in Atlanta and the team intends to put a max offer on the table, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder will be among the attendees present at the meeting, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders and Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter links).
Danny Ainge seems confident about his chances of signing Horford, as Evan Turner told Himmelsbach (full-length piece). Ainge told Turner that he was interested in having Turner re-sign with the team, but Boston was going to go after Horford and Kevin Durant before making an offer to the versatile wing. Turner worked out with Kyle Korver on Thursday and Korver told him that Horford would be re-signing with Atlanta. However, earlier today, Turner received a text message from Korver, asking him to call, and Turner had a sense that something had changed, Himmelsback writes. The Hawks signed Dwight Howard to a three-year, $70MM deal today, so perhaps the franchise was under the same impression.
Horford reportedly met with the Rockets earlier today and it’s unclear if any other teams have sat down with the former Florida Gator. Horford reportedly would like to stay in Atlanta and the team would like to bring the big man back. However, the team’s reluctance to offer a fifth year may drive Horford to sign elsewhere, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com previously reported.
The Celtics have a meeting lined up with Durant on Saturday and if they can sign Horford, that would make Boston a more desirable destination for the 2013/14 MVP either this summer or next, Bulpett adds. Boston has relatively easy path to opening up enough cap space to sign both Horford and Durant to max contracts. The team would simply need to decline Jonas Jerebko‘s and Amir Johnson‘s respective team options and renounce the rights to both Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller.
Horford would be a perfect fit in Boston, as one anonymous coach told Bulpett. “Look at what they were trying to do with [Jared] Sullinger, and now put a guy in that spot who can make the shots. That would change their offense big-time,” the coach told Bulpett.
In addition to the Celtics, Hawks, and Rockets, Horford is receiving interest from the Thunder, Lakers, Magic, Pistons, Wizards, and Nets. The Heat were reportedly interested, but they are likely out of the running after agreeing to re-sign Hassan Whiteside.
Free Agent Rumors: Howard, Lee, Waiters
Dwight Howard‘s meeting with the Hawks has concluded and a source tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Atlanta was “impressive.” Howard will still listen to the Celtics’ pitch, as well as speak with other teams, and a decision is expected to be made within the the next day.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Minnesota GM Scott Layden has reached out to Courtney Lee, but no offer has been made yet, Darren Wolfson of ESPN.com tweets. In addition to the Wolves, Lee has received interest from the Knicks, Kings, Nets and Hawks, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Kennedy adds that Atlanta’s interest in Lee is contingent on Kent Bazemore‘s decision to stay or leave in free agency.
- Dion Waiters will have a face-to-face meeting with the Kings this weekend, Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Pompey adds that the Sixers would like their own meeting with the shooting guard.
- James Ennis has received calls from the Pelicans, Mavericks, Clippers, Warriors and Hawks, according to Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter link).
- Nick Minnerath is receiving interest from the Nets, Lakers, Wizards, Pelicans and Mavericks, tweets international journalist David Pick. Minnerath last played in the D-League for the Canton Charge.
Six Teams Solidify Meetings With Kevin Durant
8:08pm: Durant will not meet with his hometown Wizards, J. Michael of CSNMidatlantic.com reports. The Wizards have already moved on with their free agency plans, as league sources told Michael that the idea of returning home “doesn’t resonate” with Durant.
MONDAY, 12:41pm: Durant and his representatives have now scheduled meetings with the Celtics, Clippers, and Heat, bringing the total number of meetings on tap for KD to six, reports ESPN’s Chris Broussard. A meeting with the Knicks also remains in play, but hasn’t yet been confirmed.
FRIDAY, 10:44pm: The Warriors, Spurs and Thunder will be the first three teams to land face-to-face recruiting meetings with Kevin Durant, writes Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Stein adds that the meetings will take place next week and more teams are expected to be granted an opportunity to make a pitch. Durant’s representatives are working to solidify meetings with the Celtics, Clippers and Heat in addition to the aforementioned teams, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports.
Both the Warriors and Spurs are planning on having key members of their respective organizations in attendance, Stein adds. Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson will be among the attendees for Golden State’s pitch, while San Antonio will have Gregg Popovich and Tim Duncan among the attendees at its meeting. Sources tell Stein that the Warriors believe their chances of landing Durant have increased as a result of losing to the Cavs in the NBA Finals. Earlier this week, a source suggested to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News that the Warriors appear to be the biggest threat to land the 2013/14 MVP should he leave Oklahoma City.
Durant is expected to have his agent Rich Kleiman and a few family members and friends alongside him during the initial meetings. The meetings are expected to take place in New York, according to Wojnarowski, although teams are still awaiting official word. It was reported last week that the meetings would take place in Los Angeles, where Durant owns a home.
The Knicks and Lakers remain hopeful about getting a meeting, Stein adds. Despite no definite report of a future meeting with Durant, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets that the Knicks are expected to get one.
The Rockets are not expected to get serious consideration, as was previously reported, and Stein adds that the Wizards are not optimistic about their chances of landing Durant.
Durant’s top priority for a destination remains competing for a championship and doing it immediately. A source tells Wojnarowski that Durant has plans to go on a publicity tour starting on July 9, and he expects to make a decision before that date.