Magic Sign Al-Farouq Aminu To Three-Year Deal
JULY 6: The Magic have officially signed Aminu, the team announced today in a press release.
JUNE 30: The Magic have agreed to a contract with Al-Farouq Aminu, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The deal will be for three years and $29MM, which works out to the amount of the full non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception. It includes a player option on the final year.
Aminu, 28, averaged 9.4 PPG and 7.5 RPG in 81 games (28.3 MPG) as the Trail Blazers’ starting power forward last season. He’s also capable of knocking down three-pointers, having made 35.3% of his attempts during his four years in Portland, and is a strong defender.
With so many high-priced commitments in Portland, it’s no surprise that Aminu was forced to look elsewhere for a contract this offseason. Orlando has been busy this weekend, already agreeing to bring back Terrence Ross and Nikola Vucevic.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Magic Re-Sign Terrence Ross
JULY 6: The Magic have officially re-signed Ross, the team announced today in a press release.
JUNE 30: The Magic will re-sign Terrence Ross to a four-year, $54MM deal, ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets.
Orlando appears content to run it back with the team that made the playoffs this past season for the first time since it traded away Dwight Howard. The Magic also agreed to re-sign Nikola Vucevic, one of the pieces they received in that 2012 Howard deal.
The Magic acquired Ross in the Serge Ibaka deal during the 2016/17 campaign. He started 81 games for the club last season, posting 15.1 PPG in just 26.5 minutes per game as Orlando’s sixth man. He also knocked down 38.3% of his attempts from beyond the arc while jacking up 7.0 per game.
Because the Magic held Ross’ Bird rights, no other exception will be required to make the signing official.
We ranked Ross 19th in our list of this year’s top 50 free agents.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Free Agent Notes: Harris, Leonard, Portis
Tobias Harris is meeting with the Sixers to begin free agency, The Athletic’s David Aldridge tweets. Harris is seeking a full, five-year max deal.
Jimmy Butler is in Miami to begin his free agency tour and is expected to tell the Heat that he wants to sign with them. The Sixers will likely get a chance to speak with Butler before he signs elsewhere, as Miami doesn’t have the cap space necessary to offer Butler a max contract.
Here’s more from the start of free agency:
- Magic Johnson said he has spoken to Kawhi Leonard and Dennis Robertson (Leonard’s uncle) after Leonard’s camp contacted him, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times relays (Twitter link). No meeting between the parties has been set up yet.
- Bobby Portis and Jabari Parker are both operating as if they will not be back with the Wizards, Chase Hughes of NBC Sports reports on Twitter. Both players were brought to Washington in the mid-season deal that sent Otto Porter Jr. to Chicago.
- Julius Randle is on the Knicks‘ radar, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link). New York missed out on Kevin Durant, watching him sign with the Nets.
- The Knicks are meeting with Reggie Bullock tonight, Aldridge tweets. Bullock is ready to commit to a “strong offer,” Aldridge adds. The Lakers would like to keep him, though New York will be among the teams which will have a chance to steal him away from Los Angeles.
Theis Gets QO From Celtics; Rozier’s Expected To Be Withdrawn
5:32pm: Now that the Celtics are on track to sign Walker, the team is expected to withdraw Rozier’s QO and renounce his cap hold, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports.
2:56pm: The Celtics have extended a qualifying offer to Terry Rozier, per Shams Charania of The Athletic (Twitter link). ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link) adds that Boston has also extended a qualifying offer to Daniel Theis.
Rozier’s qualifying offer comes in at roughly $4.29MM and his cap hold will be approximately $9.15MM. Theis’ qualifying offer and cap hold are each approximately $1.82MM. Both players are restricted free agents at the moment.
The team will not need to renounce Theis in order to have max cap room for a player with Kemba Walker‘s experience. Boston will need to renounce Rozier’s rights or make another move if it is going to add Walker or another player in his max tier.
The Celtics will not tender qualifying offers to PJ Dozier, Jonathan Gibson, or R.J. Hunter, according to Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Boston also won’t tender a qualifying offer to Brad Wanamaker, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets Wojnarowski.
Pacers Decline Edmond Sumner’s Option, Issue QO
The Pacers have declined the $1.6MM team option on Edmond Sumner‘s contract, Keith Smith of Yahoo! Sports relays (Twitter link). However, the team has tendered a qualifying offer to the former second-round pick.
Despite having his team option turned down, Sumner was eligible to receive a QO and become a restricted free agent because he has fewer than four years of NBA experience.
Scott Agness of The Athletic (Twitter link) confirms Smith’s report and adds that the Pacers and Sumner are working on a new, multiyear deal. The move to bring Sumner back on another contract was expected.
Sumner was selected with the No. 52 overall pick by New Orleans in 2017 before the franchise traded his rights to Indiana. The 6″6″ point guard, who can also play on the wing, appeared in 23 games for the Pacers last season.
Steph Curry To Attend Warriors’ Meeting With Kevin Durant
Stephen Curry will attend the Warriors‘ meeting with Kevin Durant, Marcus Thompson of The Athletic hears. GM Bob Myers will sit down with Durant in New York and attempt to convince the former MVP to stay with the team.
Curry had been on an Under Armour tour in Asia but he is now on his way to the United States. Curry is expected to speak with Durant prior to the official meeting.
The point guard was at the team’s meeting with Durant three years ago when they successfully pitched the Maryland-native to come to Golden State. Klay Thompson and Draymond Green were also there in 2016, but neither will be present in person this time around. Thompson is preparing to undergo surgery on his own ACL (not to mention his own free agency) but he will join the pitch via FaceTime, Thompson tweets. Green has already visited Durant in NYC this summer.
Durant’s decision in 2016 hinged on Curry wanting him there. The former no. 8 overall pick assured Durant that he did and envisioned the two winning multiple championships together. The Warriors won two titles with the pairing and came close to a third, losing in this year’s NBA Finals to the Raptors.
Durant plans to speak with the Clippers, Nets, and Knicks in addition to the Warriors. It’s unlikely Durant makes a quick decision.
Free Agency Notes: Mirotic, Kanter, Knicks
Nikola Mirotic helped kick off free agency weekend by opting to play in Barcelona next season. It’s a surprising development considering he was a coveted free agent.
The Jazz had their eye on Mirotic and had “major interest” in trying to sign him to a three-year deal in the $45MM range, Marc Stein of The New York Times hears (Twitter link). The market for stretch fours is even thinner now after Mirotic’s decision.
Let’s take a look at more free agency notes from around the league:
- The Clippers have interest in Enes Kanter, Fox Sports’ Chris Broussard reports (Twitter link). Broussard also confirms that the Celtics and Lakers are eyeing the center, as was previously reported.
- There’s been no indication that the Celtics are still pursuing Clint Capela, whether it be a Rockets‘ sign-and-trade involving Jimmy Butler or any scenario, Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald tweets. Capela had previously been linked to Boston.
- The Knicks will not extend a qualifying offer to Isaiah Hicks, Ian Begley of SNY.tv tweets. Hicks was on a two-way contract last season.
- New York has interest in George Hill and Wayne Ellington, Begley relays in a full-length piece. Both veterans will be targets regardless of whether the Knicks land any stars in free agency.
Nikola Mirotic To Play In Barcelona
Veteran power forward Nikola Mirotic will sign with EuroLeague club Barcelona, Shams Charania of The Athletic tweets. The terms of his deal have not yet been disclosed.
On the heels of Darren Collison‘s stunning retirement announcement, this is another surprising decision that takes a second high-quality free agent off the market just before the new league year begins.
Mirotic was expected to be in line for a deal worth approximately $45-50MM if he had remained in the NBA, Charania adds. He made $12.5MM during the 2018/19 season, though he was forced to move to Milwaukee when the Pelicans dealt him to the Bucks at the trade deadline.
The 28-year-old’s decision makes the Bucks’ offseason priority a little clearer. Malcolm Brogdon, Brook Lopez, and Khris Middleton are all in need of new contracts and it would have been difficult for Milwaukee to bring back all of their pending free agents.
There were whispers that Mirotic would consider a deal in Spain, as Sportando recently relayed. He had played for Real Madrid prior to coming over to the NBA in 2014.
The Mavericks and Jazz were among the teams expected to have interest in Mirotic. Since coming to the league in 2014, Mirotic has seen action in 319 contests.
And-Ones: Trades, Antetokounmpo, World Cup
Jae Crowder would be a nice contingency plan for the Warriors should they lose Kevin Durant in free agency, Kevin Pelton contends in a piece for ESPN+. Pelton argues a deal that sends Crowder, who has one year left on his contract, to Golden State for Shaun Livingston and a future first-rounder makes sense for both sides.
Other ESPN insiders write about the trade they’d like to see this summer, with Bobby Marks breaking down a Jimmy Butler sign-and-trade that sends Eric Gordon to Philadelphia and Clint Capela to Sacramento. The whole piece is worth checking out.
As we brace for an offseason of change, let’s take a look at some notes from around the league:
- Giannis Antetokounmpo will play for Greece in the Basketball World Cup, according to Demetris Nellas of the Associated Press. “Whether I play the 1 [point guard] or the 5 [center], I don’t care,” the NBA MVP said. “I’m a basketball player. I want to help the team any way I can.”
- The NBA has announced that the Academy Games will be in the United States for the first time in history. Jonathan Givony of ESPN.com provides a detailed look at the games in Atlanta, relaying that the camp will feature eight teams and approximately 90 players from around the world.
- Isaiah Whitehead will play for the Trail Blazers‘ Summer League team, The Athletic’s Michael Scotto relays (Twitter link).
- The Mavericks have announced their Summer League roster and former first-rounder Cameron Payne is among the notable players. Kostas Antetokounmpo, the brother of Giannis, is also playing for the team in Las Vegas.
- Semaj Christon will play for the Kings‘ Summer League team, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia tweets.
- Kings point guard De’Aaron Fox has been invited to join Team USA’s Select Team, which will hold training camp in Las Vegas this summer, Chris Haynes of Yahoo! Sports passes along (Twitter links). Nets center Jarrett Allen has also been invited.
[In case you missed it: Team USA Announces 20-Player Roster For World Cup]
Nuggets Extend Qualifying Offer To Trey Lyles
The Nuggets remain busy ahead of free agency. Denver exercised the $30.35MM team option on Paul Millsap earlier today and ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that the team will extend a qualifying offer to Trey Lyles.
Lyles’ qualifying offer comes in at approximately $4.46MM. After exercising Millsap’s option, the team won’t sniff any available cap space, though they still have to be wary about staying below the tax line.
Lyles came to the Nuggets during the 2017 draft as part of a trade that allowed the Jazz to move up to No. 13 overall. Utah selected Donovan Mitchell with the pick and Denver came away with Tyler Lydon at No. 24.
During his two years in Denver, Lyles played 137 games, starting four contests. His showcased solid three-point shooting to begin his career, though he hasn’t matched or surpassed his career-high 38.3% from behind the arc since his rookie season.