Trade Candidate: Markieff Morris
Markieff and Marcus Morris “desperately” wanted to play together, as Lon Babby, then president of basketball operations for the Suns and now an adviser to the team, said last year shortly after the twins signed their extensions. So, perhaps the Suns should have seen Markieff’s trade demand coming when they dealt Marcus to the Pistons in July. It’s just as reasonable to suggest that the brothers should have known they’d have to play apart from each other sooner or later. Still, neither the Suns nor Markieff can be pleased with where they find themselves now, with Markieff clearly upset and Phoenix left to negotiate from a position of weakness.
Other teams know that the Suns risk poisoning their locker room if they bring their disgruntled power forward to camp, and Phoenix surely doesn’t want to be stuck paying $8MM this season to a player it tells to stay at home. Waiving Markieff would be hardly palatable, since the Suns still owe him the entirety of his four-year, $32MM extension. The stretch provision could spread those payments over a period as long as nine years, but the Suns would almost certainly rather bring back value, even pennies on the dollar, in exchange for making the contract another team’s obligation.
The trick for the other 29 teams lies in knowing just how far to push. The market for Josh Smith‘s contract was so barren last year that the Pistons reportedly would have had to attach draft assets to him if they were to have traded him, prompting Detroit to release him instead. That’s not the case with Markieff, whose deal is reasonable at $8MM a year. He’s arguably underpaid, a case that his brother tried to make last week, so it’s much more likely that an interested team will be willing to give up assets for Markieff rather than demand that the Suns give them up in a swap. Just what those assets might be is the sticking point.
The Suns would no doubt love to end up with a starting power forward in return for the one they’d be giving up. They made a shrewd addition when they signed Mirza Teletovic to a one-year, $5.5MM deal a few days after trading Marcus. It’s reasonable to suspect that the Suns had an inkling that Markieff might push his way out of town when they made the signing, since Teletovic rebounds at roughly the same frequency per minute as Markieff does, and both are putative floor-stretchers. Teletovic has proven a better three-point shooter over his three-year NBA career than Markieff has in his first four years in the league, canning 36.1% of his attempts from beyond the arc, though he made just 32.1% of them last season. Still, Teletovic is the strongest candidate to start at power forward on the Suns roster other than Markieff, and the Bosnian who turns 30 next month has yet to average more than 22.3 minutes per game in an NBA season. Trade acquisition Jon Leuer, who’s never seen more than the 13.1 MPG he posted each of the last two seasons with the Grizzlies, would seemingly be next in line.
It would be exceedingly difficult for the Suns to find that sort of value for Markieff under the duress they face now, however. In hindsight, GM Ryan McDonough would have dealt him soon after he realized the team’s strong pursuit of LaMarcus Aldridge had come up just short, or at least before Markieff’s discontent became public knowledge. That the Suns stood pat suggests that the market for him wasn’t as strong as McDonough would have liked, and indeed, at least one report indicated that the Suns tried to find a new home for Markieff. Reasons ranging from Markieff’s legal troubles, to the 15 technical fouls that tied him for the league lead in that category last season, to his criticism of Suns fans may have played a factor in a market that failed to yield equal on-court value in July, but offers are surely worse now than they were then.
The Suns could try to swing a deal that creates a trade exception equivalent to Markieff’s $8MM salary, one in which Phoenix wouldn’t take any salary in return. That would give the Suns a valuable weapon they could use at some point in the next 12 months, but as we saw last month with the Cavs and the Brendan Haywood contract, a de facto trade exception, the mere ability to add a quality player without having to give up salary in return doesn’t mean an attractive trade opportunity will come up. Indeed, pursuing this angle would force the Suns to find two trades instead of just one, and given the team’s playoff aspirations, it’s doubtful that McDonough wants to relinquish his starting power forward without some sort of immediate help coming back.
Phoenix may have to end up dealing from a position of strength on the wing to fix a position of weakness at power forward. The Suns have a pair of recent late first-round picks in Archie Goodwin and T.J. Warren. Each carries promise and plays on a cheap rookie scale contract. A deal of either of them plus Morris would give the Suns a much better chance of landing a starting-caliber power forward. McDonough could look to Boston, where his old boss, Danny Ainge, has no shortage of quality fours, and Houston, where GM Daryl Morey is another Celtics alum and where the power forward position is also relatively well-stocked. The addition of Markieff wouldn’t resolve the logjam at the position in either Boston or Houston, unless those teams gave up multiple power forwards in return, but, his off-court trouble and petulance aside, Markieff may well offer better at the position than either of those teams have now.
The Suns are in a tough spot, to be sure. The league knows they essentially have to make a deal. But, McDonough and company can still try to make the best of a regrettable situation rather than panicking or acting on emotion. A cool-headed approach will let the Suns cut their losses and move forward, even if it requires a step back first.
Do you have a trade idea involving Markieff Morris? Leave a comment to share your scenario.
Western Notes: Durant, Upshaw, Ezeli
The pursuit of Kevin Durant next summer is shaping up as the “biggest non-LeBron free agency the NBA has ever seen,” writes Bleacher Report’s Kevin Ding, but it doesn’t come without doubts. The crack that Durant told Ding that he had in one of the bones in his right foot was an “unthinkable” recurrence of an earlier break, orthopedic surgeon Robert Klapper said to Ding. Klapper nonetheless expressed confidence that the bone will hold together after the latest surgery, and Durant is far from worried, the former MVP must proceed with caution, Ding opines. Still, Durant believes he’s the league’s best player, as he told Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com (Twitter link), and that confidence will be a boon for the Thunder, at least for this coming season, writes The Oklahoman’s Jenni Carlson. While we wait to see whether Durant or LeBron James emerges as the most sought-after free agent of the 2016 class, here’s more from around the Western Conference:
- Undrafted center Robert Upshaw reportedly reached an agreement with the Lakers a month ago, but Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times hears that he’s merely a possibility for the team, which has no immediate plans to sign him, Pincus adds (Twitter link). GM Mitch Kupchak said late last month that he and Upshaw’s agent, Bill Duffy, were talking but didn’t confirm that the sides had a deal and downplayed any on-court impact that Upshaw might make for the team this season.
- Eric Saar of Basketball Insiders compares rookie scale extension candidate Festus Ezeli to Alexis Ajinca, who re-signed with the Pelicans last month for about $19.5MM over four years. Saar, whose piece looks at extension candidates around the NBA, figures Ezeli will wind up with annual salaries of around $5MM. Warriors GM Bob Myers indicated recently that he’d consider an extension for the backup center, but Saar thinks Golden State should wait for him to hit restricted free agency next summer.
- Injuries had much to do with the struggles of the league-worst Timberwolves last season, argues fellow Basketball Insiders scribe Ben Dowsett, who names Minnesota one of three under-the-radar teams in the Western Conference. The Wolves have added No. 1 overall pick Karl-Anthony Towns and went after veterans this summer, re-signing Kevin Garnett and adding Andre Miller and Tayshaun Prince.
Bucks Likely To Sign Marcus Landry After Workout
The Bucks will work out former University of Wisconsin power forward Marcus Landry today and are expected to sign him, tweets Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times. Presumably, a deal is contingent on the audition going well, but it appears Milwaukee is already leaning toward bringing the one-year NBA veteran onto the roster. Milwaukee has 15 players with fully guaranteed deals, so it would seem that Landry would face an uphill climb to stick on the roster past the preseason if he indeed signs with the team.
Landry went undrafted in 2009 and saw his lone NBA regular season action in 2009/10 with the Knicks and Celtics. He last had a brush with the league in 2013, when the Lakers signed him for the preseason after he played on their summer league team. He’s been a mainstay in Spain over the past few seasons, having played last year for CAI Zaragoza, for whom he averaged 10.1 points and 3.4 rebounds in 23.6 minutes per game. He’s also seen action in the D-League and in China.
The native of Milwaukee has made it clear that he’s always wanted to play for the Bucks, Woelfel points out (on Twitter). The team wouldn’t appear to be bringing him aboard for developmental purposes, since he turns 30 in November and because the Bucks don’t have a one-to-one D-League affiliate, so I’d speculate that Milwaukee sees him as capable of beating out someone with a guaranteed deal and making the opening night roster. At 6’8″, he’s a proficient outside shooter, having made 36.8% of his three-pointers last season in Spain and 40.5% of his attempts from behind the arc over 98 career D-League games, and that would fill a need for a Milwaukee team that traded Ersan Ilyasova to the Pistons in June.
Do you think that Landry would have a realistic chance of making the regular season roster for the Bucks this year? Leave a comment to let us know.
Latest On Dorell Wright
Dorell Wright is mulling an offer from a Chinese team, a source tells international journalist David Pick (Twitter link), news that comes on the heels of Sunday’s report from Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald that Wright and the Heat have been in talks. Miami has yet to make an offer, Jackson noted, though it’s been more than a month since Wright publicly expressed interest in returning to the Heat, his original NBA team, as Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel points out.
Wright, a native of Los Angeles, has held interest in playing for the Lakers or the Clippers, as Jabari Young of CSNNW.com wrote in late June. The Wasserman Media Group client is talking to several teams, according to Jackson, but it’s unclear if either L.A. franchise is one of them. The Raptors drafted Wright’s brother, Delon, with the No. 20 overall pick this year and signed him to a rookie scale contract, but no reports have legitimately linked Dorell to Toronto this year.
It’s possible that Dorell is using the apparent interest from China to spur the Heat and other NBA teams to make offers, though that’s just my speculation. In any case, free agency has proven more difficult for him this summer than it did the last time he was on the market, in 2013, when he signed a two-year, $6.135MM deal with with Trail Blazers. The 29-year-old was merely on the fringe of the rotation for two years in Portland and has seen his minutes per game decline in each of the past four seasons, from 38.4 in 2010/11 to 12.3 this year. Still, he sank 38.0% of his three-point attempts in 2014/15, the second best percentage of his 11-year NBA career.
Do you think Dorell Wright ends up in the NBA this season, or do you see him in China? Leave a comment to weigh in.
Traded 2016 First-Round Pick Exchange Scenarios
The moves that teams make in the offseason don’t merely affect the season to come. Indeed, every transaction has a ripple effect of some kind, and as rosters get either better or worse this time of year, it has significant ramifications on next year’s draft. Nearly 20 different scenarios exist in which a first-round pick may change hands. As usual, some are more likely than others, but the relative likelihood in many cases has changed since July 1st.
We’ll break down every scenario here, with an assist from our Round-by-Round Traded Picks Register, which Mark Porcaro compiles, and RealGM’s comprehensive database. The simple explanation for the likehihood of each pick exchange is in bold, with details to follow:
- Nets to Celtics (unprotected) — 100% certain to happen
- Cavaliers to Suns (top-10 protected) — Overwhelmingly likely to happen: It would take devastating injuries to LeBron James and others or one of the most disappointing seasons in NBA history for the Suns to miss out on this one.
- Mavericks to Celtics (top-7 protected) — Likely to happen: Dallas will probably be in the mix for one of the last two playoff spots in the Western Conference, but with lots of changes, a still-healing Wesley Matthews, the hole at center that DeAndre Jordan left, and Dirk Nowitzki’s 37-year-old legs, certainty is elusive.
- Heat to Warriors (Golden State gets Miami’s pick if it falls outside the top 10 and comes after Golden State’s pick and Oklahoma City’s pick) — Unlikely to happen: A complicated set of scenarios surround this exchange, but essentially, the Heat, who missed the playoffs last season, would have to finish with a better record than the Warriors, who are coming off 67 wins and the championship, and the Thunder, who are getting Kevin Durant back. Miami will be better, but so will Oklahoma City, and it seems a long shot the Heat will eclipse them both.
- Heat to Sixers (Philadelphia gets Miami’s pick if it falls outside the top 10 and comes before either Golden State’s pick or Oklahoma City’s pick) — Likely to happen: This would-be swap is a corollary to the long shot Heat/Warriors possibility described above. As long as that vague Golden State possibility doesn’t materialize and the Heat make the playoffs as expected, Miami’s pick is going to Philly.
- Thunder to Warriors (Golden State gets Oklahoma City’s pick if it falls outside the top 15 and comes after Miami’s pick and Oklahoma City’s pick) — Toss-up: This is another one related to the Heat/Warriors exchange above. This possibility is harder to dismiss, since it’s quite conceivable that a Thunder team at full health will end up with a better record than the Warriors.
- Thunder to Sixers (Philadelphia gets Miami’s pick if it falls outside the top 15 and comes before either Golden State’s pick or Oklahoma City’s pick) — Toss-up: If the Thunder don’t send their pick to the Warriors, it probably goes to Philly. The only other scenario, one in which Oklahoma City would keep its pick, would involve another disappointing and likely injury-filled campaign for the Thunder in which they either miss the playoffs or barely sneak in.
- Warriors to Sixers (Philadelphia gets Golden State’s pick if it comes before either Miami’s pick or Oklahoma City’s pick, as long as Miami’s pick falls outside the top 10 and Oklahoma City’s pick falls outside the top 15) — Toss-up: The final of this string of five possible outcomes most likely depends on whether the Thunder finish with a better record than the Warriors do. If so, the Sixers take the Warriors’ pick. If not, Philly probably ends up with the Thunder’s.
- Rockets to Nuggets (top-14 protected) — Likely to happen: You never say never in the Western Conference, where injuries that knock stars out for even partial seasons can turn a contender into a lottery team. Still, Houston seems like a shoo-in for the playoffs, so this pick is probably going to Denver.
- Lakers to Sixers (top-3 protected) — Likely to happen: The Lakers look like they’ll be better this year, and even if they don’t make the playoffs, they’ll probably be picking outside the top three. This one may well come down to the bounce of a lottery ping-pong ball, however.
- Grizzlies to Nuggets (Denver gets the Memphis pick if it falls anywhere from No. 6 to No. 14) — Unlikely to happen: This pick essentially carries double-protection, at the top of the draft and at the bottom. Again, it’s tough to definitively say any Western Conference team will make the playoffs, as last year’s injury-riddled Thunder showed, but presuming the Grizzlies do, they’ll keep their pick.
- Timberwolves to Celtics (top-12 protected) — Unlikely to happen: The Timberwolves have an unmistakably talented roster, but most of that talent is either still developing (Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins) or well past its prime (Kevin Garnett, free agent signee Tayshaun Prince). So, it’s tough to see the Wolves mounting a challenge for a playoff spot that’s strong enough to knock this pick out of the top 12.
- Knicks to Nuggets (Denver gets the better pick among its own and New York’s) — Toss-up: Neither the Knicks nor the Nuggets look like playoff contenders this year, and it’s not clear which one will end up with greater chances in the lottery.
- Knicks to Raptors (Toronto gets New York’s pick if it comes after Denver’s pick) — Toss-up: The Raptors will end up with whichever pick the Nuggets don’t take in the pick swap described immediately above.
- Nuggets to Raptors (Toronto gets the Denver’s pick if it comes after New York’s pick) — Toss-up: See the explanation for the last two picks.
- Trail Blazers to Nuggets (top-14 protected) — Unlikely to happen: It’s hard to know precisely how well the Blazers will play after they replaced four out of five starters this summer. It’s not inconceivable that Portland makes the playoffs, but it doesn’t appear the most probable outcome in a difficult Western Conference, since the Blazers don’t have the level of talent they had before this summer’s upheaval.
- Kings to Bulls (top-10 protected) — Toss-up: Sacramento, like Portland, has a chance at one of the last playoff spots in the West, though the Kings are moving in the opposite direction. Of course, the Kings also have perhaps the most combustible roster in the NBA, given the DeMarcus Cousins trade rumors earlier this summer and the addition of temperamental Rajon Rondo, among other factors. So, this pick swap is tough to call.
- Kings to Sixers (Philadelphia gets the better of Sacramento’s pick and its own if Sacramento’s pick falls inside the top 10) — Unlikely: The Sixers will root for chaos in Sacramento, since Philadelphia would thus have an extra chance to win the lottery. Still, the Kings will probably be better than the Sixers this year, barring a complete disaster for Sacramento, so this pick doesn’t appear destined for Philly.
- Sixers to Kings (Sacramento gets the inferior of its own pick and Philadelphia’s pick if its own pick falls inside the top 10) — Unlikely: Since Philadelphia probably doesn’t end up with Sacramento’s pick, the Sixers probably won’t be sending their pick to the Kings.
Pacific Notes: Kobe, Clarkson, Jordan, Cauley-Stein
Kobe Bryant isn’t making any definitive statements about whether he’ll retire after this coming season, even though that seems the most likely outcome. It’s also uncertain whether he’ll play in the 2016 Olympics, but USA Basketball executive director Jerry Colangelo said Bryant told him he’d love to “ride off into the sunset” with Team USA next summer, providing he’s still playing well enough to earn a roster spot, observes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. While we wait to see if Bryant’s storied career has a storybook ending, see more from the Pacific Division:
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak envisions D’Angelo Russell and Jordan Clarkson in the team’s backcourt for the next 10-12 years, as he recently told SiriusXM NBA Radio (Twitter link), and Clarkson sees that as a challenge to build on his breakout rookie season, as he said to Serena Winters of Lakers Nation. “If Mitch believes in us, we’re definitely trying to make that happen,” Clarkson said. “We’ve got to put our best foot forward if he believes in us like that and continue to work hard and put in great effort. Coach [Byron] Scott ain’t no easy guy to play for, so you’ve got to leave it all on the line when you play for him! So, we’ve just got to work hard and get better everyday and hopefully bring wins to the organization.”
- DeAndre Jordan knows it’ll take time to heal the wounds that he inflicted on the hearts of the Mavs when he reneged on his agreement to sign with Dallas, but the Clippers center said earlier this week that he’d talked to Chandler Parsons and that they’ll remain cordial, as Ken Berger of CBSSports.com notes. Parsons previously called Jordan’s flip-flop “very unethical and disrespectful.” “I understand the whole situation and I’d be a little iffy too,” Jordan said. “But we were friends before and after basketball. It’s something that I don’t think he’s too happy about, but at the same time, it’s basketball and it happened.”
- No. 6 overall pick Willie Cauley-Stein has a quirky, one-of-a-kind personality, but Kings assistant coach John Welch lights up when talking about his performance in summer league, and Cauley-Stein tells James Herbert of CBSSports.com that Sacramento sees his unique manner as a plus. “The way I see it is, like, it was kind of meant to happen like that because [owner] Vivek [Ranadive] and [executive] Vlade [Divac] love the fact that I’m a bit of an artistic mind and I think outside of the box,” Cauley-Stein said. “They were really intrigued by that. That’s one of the main reasons why they chose me. So it worked out like that.”
Teams With Open Regular Season Roster Spots
The offseason isn’t over in Cleveland by a long shot. Thanks to lingering negotiations with Tristan Thompson and J.R. Smith, the Cavs have seemingly stalled as they possess 11 fully guaranteed deals but haven’t signed anyone else. They’ll have to sign at least two more players, and it’s likely they sign several more before the start of training camp.
A glance at the teams that have fewer than 15 fully guaranteed deals provides a chance to see where this year’s remaining free agents might fit in. Six teams already have 15 full guarantees on their books, while the Pistons, Celtics and Timberwolves would appear among the most likely to make a trade before opening night. That’s because those teams have more than 15 full guarantees, so they’d surely like to avoid eating salary.
Here’s a look at where each team stands. Players without full guarantees are listed by the names of the teams with open spots on their 15-man rosters. Teams can carry as many as 20 players in the offseason, but they must cut down to 15 for opening night.
Four open spots
- Cavaliers — No players have contracts without full guarantees.
Three open spots
- Heat — Tyler Johnson ($422,530), Hassan Whiteside ($245,337), James Ennis ($0)
- Lakers — Tarik Black ($0), Jabari Brown ($0), Jonathan Holmes (unknown), Robert Upshaw (unknown)
- Nets — Willie Reed ($500K), Markel Brown ($150K)1, Ryan Boatright ($75K guaranteed), Quincy Miller ($50K), Donald Sloan ($50K)
- Pelicans — No players have contracts without full guarantees.
- Rockets — Chuck Hayes (unknown)
- Sixers — Scottie Wilbekin ($200K), Robert Covington ($0), JaKarr Sampson ($0), Hollis Thompson ($0), T.J. McConnell (unknown), Jordan McRae (unknown), J.P. Tokoto (unknown)
Two open spots
- Bulls — Cameron Bairstow ($425K), Cristiano Felicio (unknown)
- Hawks — Mike Muscala ($473,638), Terran Petteway ($75K), Lamar Patterson ($75K)
- Jazz — Jack Cooley ($0), Bryce Cotton ($0), Chris Johnson ($0), Elijah Millsap ($0)
- Knicks — Langston Galloway ($220K)2, Thanasis Antetokounmpo ($75K), Wesley Saunders (unknown, but no more than $75K), Darion Atkins (unknown)
- Magic — Melvin Ejim ($150K), Devyn Marble ($0), Keith Appling (unknown)
- Spurs — Matt Bonner ($749,594), Jimmer Fredette ($507,711), Reggie Williams ($0), Youssou Ndoye (unknown), Keifer Sykes (unknown)
- Suns — No players have contracts without full guarantees.
- Warriors — James McAdoo ($100K), Chris Babb ($0), Ian Clark (unknown)
One open spot
- Clippers — Yanick Moreira (unknown)
- Grizzlies — JaMychal Green ($150K)
- Hornets — Elliot Williams ($80K), Aaron Harrison ($75K)
- Kings — David Stockton ($0), Vince Hunter (unknown)
- Raptors — Ronald Roberts ($75K), Michale Kyser ($0), Axel Toupane ($0), Shannon Scott (unknown)
- Trail Blazers — Cliff Alexander ($100K), Tim Frazier ($0), Phil Pressey ($0)
No open spots
- Bucks
- Mavericks
- Nuggets
- Pacers
- Thunder
- Wizards
Overloaded
- Pistons (17 full guarantees)
- Celtics (16 full guarantees)
- Timberwolves (16 full guarantees)
1 — Brown’s salary with the Nets would become fully guaranteed at the start of training camp.
2 — Galloway’s salary with the Knicks would become $440K guaranteed before the start of training camp.
The Basketball Insiders Salary Pages were used in the creation of this post.
Which battle over roster spots in training camp are you most looking forward to? Leave a comment to let us know.
Central Notes: Thompson, Love, Bulls, Douglas
LeBron James believes the Cavs front office has “done a great job” this summer, but the next step, he added, is to re-sign Tristan Thompson, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com chronicles. James and Thompson share Rich Paul as an agent.
“Our No. 1 objective right now is to sign Tristan,” James said Thursday at Cedar Point amusement park. “He’s a huge part of our team. Short term and long term he makes our team more dangerous.”
Keeping him for this season doesn’t appear to be the issue. Paul raised the specter of Thompson signing his one-year, approximately $6.778MM qualifying offer earlier this week, but the agent said that if that happened, Thompson wouldn’t re-sign with the Cavs in unrestricted free agency next season. The Cavs are offering less than the near-max that Thompson seeks, Windhorst notes. See more from Cleveland amid the latest from the Central Division:
- James also expressed confidence that Kevin Love, who re-signed on a five-year deal earlier this summer, will function better this season than last, as Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group writes. Love arranged a meeting with James earlier this summer. “He wanted to talk about the season, what could happen with the team going forward,” James said. “I was absolutely open to it. I was one of the people that wanted him there when we made the trade last summer. The fact that he committed to us let me know the type of guy we have. I think he’s going to be great for us. I think he’ll be an All-Star this year and a much more vocal part of the team this season.”
- Jimmy Butler knows much hinges on the Bulls‘ coaching change and their ability to take advantage of opportunities, as Vincent Goodwill of CSNChicago.com relays (Twitter links). “We got the same team. Is it enough? We’ll find out. It wasn’t enough last year. Only thing we changed was coach,” Butler said. “We got the same exact team. We had a chance. We were right there. If we’re healthy…we’ll be right in the same position.”
- Toney Douglas understands he faces a challenge to make the opening night roster for the Pacers, a team that already has 15 fully guaranteed salaries to go along with his partially guaranteed deal, writes Manny Randhawa of the Indianapolis Star. President of basketball operations Larry Bird used the phrase “having him in camp” twice in the press release to announce the signing of Douglas, but the point guard isn’t discouraged. “We really haven’t gotten into detail about me being here, but I know I’m here for a reason,” Douglas said this week to reporters, including Randhawa. His contract covers one season, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
International Moves: Dragic, Oden, Kirk
NBA free agent deals are still getting done, as today’s agreements between the Wolves and Tayshaun Prince and the Mavs and JaVale McGee show, but plenty of action is going on overseas, where players are latching on as NBA roster spots grow scarce. Here’s the latest on familiar figures hitting the international market:
- Zoran Dragic‘s contract with Khimki of Russia will pay him 1 million euros this coming season and 1.1 million euros next year, reports overseas journalist David Pick (Twitter link). That means he’ll make the equivalent of about $1.114MM this year, so the Celtics, who waived him this week, will be eligible for about $269K via set off rights.
- Greg Oden will make $1.2MM after taxes on his new deal with Jiangsu of China, the Altius Culture agency says (Twitter link), citing a Sports Weekly report. However, Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia indicates that the oft-injured former No. 1 overall pick still must go through a weeklong workout at the end of the month for the deal to take effect (Twitter link).
- Former Cavaliers big man Alex Kirk will join Italy’s Giorgio Tesi Pistoia, the Sports ProMotion agency tweets. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported earlier this week that Kirk, who spent the first part of last season with the Cavs, was expected to sign with a team from Italy, though it wasn’t clear which club he’d end up with.
Mavs Sign JaVale McGee
The Mavericks have signed JaVale McGee, the team announced, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com tweets. The team had initiated talks with the center last month, as Shams Charania of RealGM had reported, but it seemed like that door was closed when the Mavs signed Samuel Dalembert and others to bring themselves to 15 fully guaranteed deals. Dallas also had serious concerns about McGee’s health, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com, but it appears as though the Mavs are willing to take a risk. The Mavs have been holding on to their $2.814MM room exception, but McGee will see only the minimum in his contract, which covers two years with a team option on the final season, Stein tweets.
The Wasserman Media Group client had reportedly rejected a similar offer from the Celtics late last season, preferring a player option instead. Boston and McGee had seemingly been close to a deal at that point, and plenty of rumors have surrounded the 27-year-old for the past several months as he’s lingered in free agency. The Sixers waived him shortly after acquiring him from the Nuggets at the trade deadline. Philadelphia did so even though McGee still had $12MM coming to him for this season, but the center’s deal with Dallas, which will pay him the seven-year veteran’s minimum of $1,270,964 this season, means the Sixers are eligible to withhold as much as $212,953 via set-off rights.
The Mavericks reportedly held strong interest in McGee this spring after talks with the Celtics fell through, and the Warriors, Raptors, Rockets and Heat were also apparently eyeing him, though reports conflicted on just how much Golden State wanted the former 18th overall pick. The Mavs eventually dropped out of the running, too, and while McGee later reportedly backed off his demand for a player option, no deal materialized until now. Reports indicated that the Celtics appeared ready to jump back in the mix after the end of this past season, the Kings set their sights on him in June, and the Clippers planned to talk with him in July, but it was the revived interest from the Mavs that ultimately lured the 7-footer.
McGee has played in only 28 games after suffering a stress fracture early in the 2013/14 season. He’s nonetheless another contender to start at center for the Mavs, whom DeAndre Jordan notoriously spurned after initially having agreed to sign with them. Dalembert and trade acquisition Zaza Pachulia also appear to be in the mix, with free agent signees Salah Mejri, Jarrid Famous and incumbent Dwight Powell also available at the position.
All the new faces leave the Mavs with only six players eligible for inclusion in a trade, notes former Nets executive Bobby Marks (Twitter link), and that’s troublesome, given that McGee is joining a roster that already featured 15 fully guaranteed salaries. Still, Dallas has shown a willingness to eat guaranteed money in the past, waiving Bernard James and Gal Mekel last fall despite their fully guaranteed salaries. Powell, Famous, Jamil Wilson and Brandon Ashley nonetheless face long odds to make it past the preseason, since their salaries aren’t fully guaranteed.
Do you think the McGee signing will work out for the Mavs? Leave a comment to tell us.