Draft Notes: Ennis, Antetokounmpo, Wiggins
The buyout market is the primary focus for many playoff-bound teams, but May 20th is the next significant date on the calendar for other clubs. That’s the date of the draft lottery, when bouncing ping-pong balls will determine the future for a handful of franchises. No matter how it turns out, teams are no doubt preparing for every possibility, and we’ve got the latest on the 2014 draft here:
- Some scouts say Tyler Ennis is strongly considering a return to Syracuse for his sophomore season, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. Still, the point guard is widely considered a top-10 talent, and most such prospects end up declaring for the draft, whether they hesitate or not. Ennis is No. 10 on the ESPN Insider board and No. 9 in the DraftExpress rankings. Executives around the league last month reportedly worried that Jabari Parker wouldn’t enter the draft, but Kennedy hears from scouts who are confident that he’ll turn pro (Twitter link).
- The Sixers would like to use one of their haul of second-round picks on Thanasis Antetokounmpo, according to Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. He’s a fringe first-round pick, and the Sixers might not get a crack at him, particularly if the Bucks wind up with the top pick of the second round. Still, Bucks rookie Giannis Antetokounmpo tells Deveney that he isn’t sure he’d like to compete with his brother for playing time at the same position on the same team.
- Andrew Wiggins is the new No. 1 on the latest draft board from Chris Mannix of SI.com. Ennis checks in at No. 7.
Buyout Rumors: Bulls, Granger, Butler
The Bulls don’t believe adding a 13th guaranteed contract at this point will push the team into the luxury tax, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. I examined last month how the team’s proximity to the tax could affect its roster, and Mark Deeks of ShamSports did the same, noting how a bonus for Taj Gibson could push the team over the tax line. Deeks tweeted recently that the Bulls couldn’t sign anyone for the rest of the season until April 3rd, but judging from reports linking them to Jimmer Fredette, Danny Granger and Caron Butler, it appears they don’t have to wait that long. Here’s more on a bustling post-deadline market:
- Granger is having phone conversations today with the Spurs, Heat, Rockets, Clippers and Bulls, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Those are the teams that TNT’s David Aldridge identified Wednesday as Granger’s preferred destinations.
- Deeks clarifies that the Bulls can sign two players for the rest of the season today and stay out of the tax if they’re confident Gibson won’t make an All-Defensive Team and trigger the bonus clause in his contract. If they wanted to play it safe in case Gibson does earn such an honor, they’d have to wait until April 3rd to hand out any contract for the rest of the season (Twitter links).
Earlier updates:
- The Bulls‘ best shot at landing a significant target is with Fredette, McGraw tweets.
- The Rockets are also interested in Butler, according to Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times, who hears the Raymond Brothers client could make his decision on a new team today. The Heat and Thunder appear to be the favorites to land him.
- The Bulls don’t have interest in newly minted free agent Metta World Peace, and they wouldn’t pursue Ben Gordon, either, if he buys his way off the Bobcats, according to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald.
- The Thunder were linked to Granger last week, but they haven’t been since, and the end of their pursuit has led many in the NBA to believe they’re confident about their chance to land Butler, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
- The contract that Glen Davis signed with the Clippers is a two-year deal for the minimum salary with a player option for next season, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times. Davis joined the Clippers after securing a buyout from the Magic.
Kings Arena Plan Scores Key Legal Victory
A Sacramento Superior Court judge tossed out a lawsuit that two anti-arena groups had brought against the city after it rejected a petition to put public arena funding up for a vote, report Dale Kasler and Ryan Lillis of The Sacramento Bee. An official with one of the groups says there will be no appeal, Lillis and Kasler write in a separate story, likely ending any serious threat to the beginning of construction on a $448MM new home for the Kings.
The team is facing a league-imposed 2017 deadline to open a new building. The NBA has threatened to strip the Kings from principal owner Vivek Ranadive and his partners if they don’t complete the project on schedule, and the league has also mandated that the team show timely progress. However, commissioner Adam Silver recently visited Sacramento and expressed supreme confidence in the team’s ability to deliver an arena ahead of the deadline.
There are other, less threatening legal hurdles still in place, as Kasler and Lillis explain. Many of the same arena opponents have filed a lawsuit claiming the city distorted the actual value of its arena subsidy, which the city maintains is $258MM. The same judge will rule on that case. The city must also certify an environmental impact report, and that could prompt additional legal challenges. Sacramento is also involved in an eminent domain lawsuit over a portion of the land upon which the arena is to be built. Construction is set to begin in the fall, assuming none of these obstacles cause a delay.
Chris Hansen, the principal investor behind Seattle’s effort to land the Kings last year, made a $100K contribution to the anti-arena group’s petition drive. He implored the arena opponents not to use the signatures gathered with the help of his money after his secret donation became public, but those signatures were nonetheless among those submitted to the city.
Hawks Sign Mike Muscala
THURSDAY, 12:02pm: Atlanta has officially signed Muscala, the team announced. The release of Dexter Pittman cleared a roster spot enabling the move. The team doesn’t specify whether it’s a 10-day contract or a pact for the rest of the season.
TUESDAY, 8:31am: The Hawks indeed bought out Muscala’s deal with Obradoiro, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, though it’s not clear just how much the Hawks shelled out. It’s unlikely that it was more than the Excluded International Player Payment Amount of $575K, since anything over that figure would count against team salary and come out of Muscala’s paychecks from the Hawks. The deal between Muscala and Obradoiro was believed to be a one-year contract, Vivlamore adds.
7:39am: The Hawks will sign 2013 second-round pick Mike Muscala, reports Javier Maestro of Encestando. Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia provides translation and further confirmation from agent Misko Raznatovic that the former Bucknell center is on his way to Atlanta. Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype reported Monday that the Hawks had been speaking with Spanish club Obradoiro, for which Muscala has been playing, but Atlanta had yet to extend an offer at that point.
It’s not clear how much money, if any, the Hawks had to pony up to buy Muscala out of his Spanish contract. Muscala signed with Obradoiro this summer, a few months after the Mavs drafted him 44th overall and traded him to the Hawks on draft night. The deal is likely for at least the rest of the season, probably with one more non-guaranteed season tacked on. If it were just a 10-day arrangement, Atlanta would lose his draft rights and he’d be free to sign with any NBA team at the end of the 10 days.
Muscala has averaged 14.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game in the Spanish ACB league this year. Other European teams had interest in him, but Obradoiro turned away their pursuit, according to Sierra. Atlanta has the NBA rights to another center playing in Spain, but the Hawks can’t sign Lucas Nogueira, the 16th overall pick from this past June, until this coming summer. That’s because the Hawks took his cap hold off their books to clear cap space before the season started.
The Hawks signed Dexter Pittman to a 10-day contract on Saturday, filling their final roster spot, so they’ll have to wait for Pittman’s contract to run out, cut him loose early, or waive a guaranteed contract to facilitate Muscala’s signing.
Grizzlies Claim Beno Udrih Off Waivers
THURSDAY, 11:51am: Memphis has officially announced its waiver acquisition of Udrih.
WEDNESDAY, 4:13pm: The Grizzlies have claimed Beno Udrih off waivers, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Stein also notes that Metta World Peace has cleared waivers. Memphis absorbs Udrih’s minimum salary, and any giveback the point guard agreed to as part of a buyout agreement with the Knicks is now likely null and void. New York no longer owes Udrih any money, since Memphis has assumed his one-year contract.
World Peace is making slightly more than the minimum and has a player option for next season, so it was far less likely any team would put in a claim. World Peace is now a free agent, and his top choices are reportedly to sign with the Thunder, Spurs or Heat. It’s unclear if any of those teams has mutual interest. The Clippers are reportedly interested, though it appears their top priority is pursuing Danny Granger.
The Grizzlies add a cap hit of $884,293 to their books, likely pushing them over the luxury tax threshold. That wouldn’t have been the case if they had waited to sign Udrih as a free agent after he cleared waivers. The Nuggets and Wizards showed interest in trading for Udrih before the deadline, but we didn’t hear any reports about post-deadline interest in the 31-year-old point guard.
Memphis was willing to make a deadline trade that put the team slightly over the luxury tax, according to TNT’s David Aldridge, and that’s indeed what they appear to have done with their claim of Udrih. Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal believes the move signals a lack of confidence in rookie Nick Calathes to handle the backup point guard duties for the rest of the season (Twitter link).
Hawks Release Dexter Pittman
The Hawks have terminated their 10-day contract with Dexter Pittman, the team announced. Presumably, the move is to make way for the signing of Mike Muscala, who reportedly agreed to a deal earlier this week. Pittman becomes a free agent immediately, since 10-day signees don’t have to go through waivers.
Atlanta signed Pittman Saturday, and his contract wasn’t set to expire until Monday night. He appeared in two games for a total of just three minutes, missing his only shot. The Impact Sports Basketball client has played more extensively this season with the D-League’s Austin Toros, notching 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game.
Jimmer Fredette, Kings Close To Buyout
10:31am: The Cavs are indeed interested in Fredette, according to a full story from Stein, who reiterates that the Bulls are also going after the sharpshooter. Stein hears Fredette is strongly considering a playoff-bound team in the East. Fredette and the Kings still haven’t reached agreement on a buyout, but that could happen as soon as today, sources tell Stein.
8:57am: The Cavs are unlikely to have interest in Fredette, unless today’s medical exams on the injured Dion Waiters and C.J. Miles go poorly, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal explains. Fredette wouldn’t want to sign with Cleveland anyway, according to an earlier report (linked below).
THURSDAY, 8:19am: The Bulls are a contender with an outside chance at landing Fredette, Stein tweets
1:01pm: The former BYU star is leaning against signing with the Grizzlies, according to Stein (on Twitter).
12:12pm: Fredette doesn’t have interest in joining the Cavs, Amico hears (Twitter link). Amico suggested Tuesday that Cleveland could get involved with the former BYU star, but it appears that’s not going to happen.
WEDNESDAY, 11:41am: The buyout is on track to be complete today, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
TUESDAY, 1:00pm: The Grizzlies are in on Fredette, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Memphis has pursued Fredette via trade since last season, Stein adds in a second tweet.
11:46am: The Cavs had interest in Fredette before the trade deadline, too, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, who suggests that Cleveland could be in the mix again, even though the trade talks didn’t make much progress. The Jazz have had no discussions about adding Fredette, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
11:32am: Some in the Warriors front office are high on Fredette, but the team is unlikely to have interest in signing him if he becomes a free agent, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick (Twitter link).
9:20am: The Nuggets had “significant” talks with the Kings about Fredette before the deadline, Wojnarowski notes, pointing out that Denver elected to trade for Aaron Brooks instead (Twitter link). Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders identifies the Knicks as a “team to watch” in a potential race for Fredette, citing New York’s desire to add three-point shooting as well as potential legal trouble surrounding Raymond Felton (Twitter links). Felton was arrested overnight and faces three counts of criminal possession of a weapon.
8:51am: Jimmer Fredette and the Kings are nearing a buyout agreement, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Several teams are expected to have interest in signing the former 10th overall pick for the rest of the season.
Fredette had been a frequent subject of trade rumors, but the Kings couldn’t find a taker for his expiring contract, worth $2,439,840 this year. The Kings declined his 2014/15 option before this season began, setting him up for unrestricted free agency this summer. Now it appears he’ll hit the market even sooner.
The one-time college superstar at BYU has yet to approach that kind of success in the NBA, averaging 7.0 points in 15.0 minutes per game over two and a half seasons. His minutes and scoring have declined in both seasons since his rookie year, and his numbers are just 5.9 PPG and 11.3 MPG in 2013/14. He’s nonetheless improved his three-point accuracy every year, and is up to an impressive 49.3% this season, albeit on just 73 attempts.
The timing of the news is somewhat surprising, since the Kings traded Marcus Thornton to the Nets last week and announced this weekend that Jason Terry will miss the rest of the season, which might have opened up minutes for Fredette. Still, Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore and Ray McCallum are all still competing for backcourt playing time.
Knicks Sign Earl Clark To 10-Day Contract
THURSDAY, 9:35am: The signing is official, the team announced via Twitter.
TUESDAY, 8:57pm: Clark’s deal with New York is a 10-day contract, according to Chris Broussard of ESPN (Twitter link).
3:58pm: The Knicks and free agent forward Earl Clark are finalizing an agreement on a new deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It’s unclear whether it’ll be a 10-day contract or an arrangement that covers the rest of the season. Wojnarowski first reported earlier this afternoon that the team was in pursuit, and Frank Isola of the New York Daily News noted a deal was a strong possibility after Clark met with coach Mike Woodson and GM Steve Mills.
New York has been linked to Ike Diogu, Lester Hudson, Tiny Gallon, Dahntay Jones and Jimmer Fredette in the past two days as the team has sought to fill a pair of roster spots opened via buyout agreements with Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih. Clark has played both forward positions over the past couple of seasons. The 14th overall pick in the 2009 draft had some of the best performances of his career last year with the Lakers, but he regressed after signing a two-year, $8.5MM deal with Cleveland in the summer. The Cavs traded him to the Sixers at the deadline, who waived him less than 24 hours later.
It’ll be a prorated minimum-salary pact for the Kevin Bradbury client, since the Knicks can’t offer anything else, but New York is in line to pay 3.25 times the amount of his cap hit in luxury taxes on the deal. Clark will likely forfeit a tiny portion of his $4.25MM guaranteed salary from the Cavs, thanks to Cleveland’s set-off rights.
Sixers Reach Buyout Deal With Danny Granger
10:38pm: Granger’s representatives were present at the Clippers/Rockets game to meet with Los Angeles officials, per Shelburne (Twitter link). Shelburne adds that the Rockets’ push to sign Granger could have something to do with the appearance.
5:05pm: Stein and ESPN.com colleague Ramona Shelburne suggest in their full story that the Clippers are the favorites, and add that Granger is seeking a championship contender as well as playing time.
4:09pm: The Sixers and Danny Granger have reached agreement on a buyout, the team has announced, and Philadelphia has placed the 30-year-old on waivers. David Aldridge of NBA.com first reported the news. The Clippers have emerged as front runners for Granger, writes Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Aldridge names the Clippers, Rockets, Bulls, Heat and Spurs as Granger’s preferred destinations, reiterating his report from earlier today. Marc Stein of ESPN.com casts it as a battle between the Clippers and the Spurs (Twitter link).
“Given Danny’s future goals and his desire to pursue them, we worked to fulfill his requests and have come to a resolution that we feel is mutually beneficial to both Danny and our organization,” Sixers GM Sam Hinkie said in a statement. “We wish Danny the best in the next phase of his career.”
The Pacers traded Granger to the Sixers at the deadline, but Granger was upset upon hearing the news. The Sixers hesitated as they pondered retaining the former All-Star for a possible sign-and-trade in the summer, but they wound up acquiescing to his desires. It’s not clear how much money Granger is forfeiting from his more than $14MM salary.
The Creative Artists Agency client figures to be the prize of the buyout market, even though one GM told Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that he thinks the ninth-year veteran is “done” after injuries that have plagued him the last two seasons. Chris Mannix of SI.com reiterates Stein’s report that the Spurs and Clippers are the front runners, having heard that from executives with other clubs (Twitter link).
Kings Likely To Sign Royce White
8:42pm: Coach Michael Malone tells Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee that while the Kings are indeed interested in White, they won’t be signing him “soon” and that nothing is imminent (via Twitter). It’s unclear if this just in line with the wait for a roster spot to open upon Fredette’s finalized buyout, or if more substantial time could pass before Sacramento pulls the trigger on a deal with White.
1:49pm: The Kings will probably sign Royce White to a 10-day contract, two sources tell Sam Amick of USA Today. White has worked out in front of team officials, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday. Since the Kings just filled their final roster spot with the signing of Orlando Johnson to a 10-day deal, White would most likely sign after the team finalizes a buyout with Jimmer Fredette.
A deal with the Kings would open the door for White to see the first regular season action of his career. The Rockets made him the 16th overall pick in 2012, but he had a well-publicized spat with the team over its accommodations, or lack thereof, for his mental health issues. Houston traded him to the Sixers this past summer, and Philadelphia waived him before opening night, swallowing his guaranteed rookie scale contract that pays the 22-year-old about $1.7MM this year.
White said in December that “quite a few” NBA teams were interested in him, and that he’d prioritize signing with a club that had an open mind about his mental health advocacy. Sacramento begins a seven-game road trip against mostly Eastern Conference teams on March 5th, but White also said in December that his fear of flying has been “overblown.”
The former Iowa State Cyclone recently changed agents, dropping ASM Sports to join George Bass of AAI Sports, as our Agency Database shows. He appeared in 16 games in the D-League on assignment from the Rockets, and he’s played in the preseason for Houston and Philadelphia, but more than 70% of Hoops Rumors readers who voted shortly after his release from the Sixers believed he would never make it into a regular season game.