Rockets Finalize Deal With Dwight Howard
The Rockets made it official this afternoon, introducing Dwight Howard at a press conference and releasing a statement on their four-year maximum-salary deal with the big man. The move brings an end to nearly two years of questions about the future seven-time All-Star, who pushed for a trade from the Magic in 2012 and wound up quickly souring on his brief tenure with the Lakers. Throughout the process, Howard often appeared indecisive, and his back-and-forth on the night he made he decision to sign with Houston provided a fitting coda to the affair.
The contract is worth a total of $87,591,270 through 2016/17, more than $30MM less than Howard could have earned in a new deal with the Lakers, though the lack of a state income tax in Texas offsets that difference. The pact includes an option for the final season that will give Howard the choice of leaving in the summer of 2016. Agent Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports was Howard's primary representative as they picked the Rockets over the Lakers, Warriors, Mavericks and Hawks, the other four finalists in the mix for the most sought-after free agent of 2013.
"Dwight is the biggest free agent acquisition in the history of the Rockets," owner Leslie Alexander said as part of the team's statement. "His addition puts us in contention. This is good for the city and especially the fans. Fans are going to have a great time this year. This team will be tremendous fun to watch."
Howard's deal is the second maximum contract on the Rockets payroll, with James Harden's five-year extension kicking in this coming season. Together they'll make $34,214,428 this coming season, or about 58.3% of the salary cap. Still, the team appears to be in the hunt for a third star, reportedly dangling Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik in an effort to sign-and-trade for Josh Smith before he wound up with the Pistons. Morey has insisted he's not interested in letting them go, reiterating that point to reporters today (Twitter link). In any case, the Rockets will be building around Howard and Harden in the years to come.
Rockets Waive James Anderson, Tim Ohlbrecht
Rockets GM Daryl Morey confirms that the team has waived James Anderson and Tim Ohlbrecht, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The team also renounced its rights to Francisco Garcia and Earl Boykins, Feigen notes via Twitter, but that's just a procedural move in Garcia's case. Renouncing Garcia's $9.15MM cap hold clears space necessary for the Rockets to finalize their other moves this summer before they officially re-sign Garcia to the cheaper two-year, $2.6MM deal they've agreed upon.
Anderson and Ohlbrecht were each about to enter the second year of a three-year minimum-salary deal with the Rockets, but the final two seasons were non-guaranteed for both players, so Houston clears them completely off its books. Anderson was the 20th overall pick in the 2010 draft, but the Spurs declined to pick up the third-year option on his rookie-scale contract, making him a free agent last summer. He spent training camp with the Hawks, re-signed with the Spurs early in the season, and wound up with the Rockets in January after San Antonio let him go. Ohlbrecht was undrafted out of Germany, but Houston picked him up in February in the hopes that the 6'11" center could develop into a frontcourt contributor. Neither he nor Anderson played an integral role for the Rockets this past season.
The Rockets declined their $6.4MM team option on Garcia last month, but the team was still stuck with his hefty cap hold until renouncing his rights today. The team could have made that cap hold disappear simply by formalizing the agreement on Garcia's new contract, but perhaps the club intends to use its cap room to bring aboard Dwight Howard and the rest of its free agent bounty first, and squeeze Garcia's deal in using part of the $2.652MM room exception. The $884,293 cap hold for Boykins, who didn't play in the NBA in 2012/13, was simply a placeholder, so it's no surprise the Rockets renounced him.
Bucks Sign O.J. Mayo
JULY 13th: The Bucks officially announced the deal.
JULY 5th: The Bucks have reached agreement on a three-year, $24MM deal with O.J. Mayo, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The two sides have appeared close to a deal over the past two days.
Several teams have been in on Mayo since free agency began, including the Wolves and Clippers, both of whom appeared willing to engage in sign-and-trade scenarios with the Mavs. Instead, it's Milwaukee, with plenty of cap space following the departure of J.J. Redick, taking him on straight up. The Jazz, Blazers, Bobcats, and Bulls were all linked to the Landmark Sports Agency client as well.
Monta Ellis appears to be drawing significant interest from the Nuggets and other teams, so Mayo could step into a starting role in Milwaukee. Brandon Jennings is also a free agent, but he's restricted, so the Bucks can match offers from other teams for him. He figures to give the team some scoring punch to offset the production headed out the door. Mayo averaged 15.3 points and shot a career-best 40.7% from three-point range last season.
Odds & Ends: Nets, Celtics, Mavs, Barea
The Nets and Celtics had agreed last month to the framework of a trade that involved Paul Pierce, but not Kevin Garnett, writes Howard Beck of The New York Times. Then, Brooklyn GM Billy King asked Boston counterpart Danny Ainge whether Garnett would be available, too, and the deal began to morph into the nine-player swap that was finalized today. Here's more on an ever-changing NBA landscape:
- The Mavs lost a pair of guards to injury, but they aren't interested in a trade that would bring back J.J. Barea, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities.
- According to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), it's
worth keeping an eye on Jordanian forward Zaid Abbas, who may be NBA-bound next
month. Amick adds in a second tweet that Abbas is holding off on signing with a
Chinese team due to optimism about potential NBA workouts in August. - The Rockets hold the rights to Kostas Papanikolaou after acquiring him as part of the Thomas Robinson trade, but the Bucks are among other NBA teams with interest in the 6'9" Greek small forward who "definitely" wants to play in the NBA this season, according to Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link).
- With Marreese Speights, Wayne Ellington and Omri Casspi all joining other teams, the Cavaliers renounced their rights to the trio today, according to the RealGM transactions log. The Cavs did the same with Luke Walton, who remains a free agent.
Western Notes: World Peace, Kings, Young, Pek
Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni told Marc Berman of the New York Post that the team's decision to amnesty Metta World Peace was purely financial.
"Obviously it’s a byproduct of the CBA," D’Antoni said. "As a person and player, I couldn’t find anyone better. He’s great. I enjoyed coaching him. I hope he finds something great. He deserves it. It’s not the coaches. It’s management. They have to manage the cap."
The former Ron Artest probably won't be heading back to Sacramento, with the Kings not planning to place a bid through amnesty waivers, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (on Twitter). While World Peace contemplates a future with another L.A. team, the Lakers have turned their attention elsewhere, and we cover that and other news out of the Western Conference:
- Nick Young's minimum-salary pact with the Lakers is only for one year, but GM Mitch Kupchak suggested that the 28-year-old is a part of the team's long-term plans, as Dave McMenamin passes along (Twitter link). "Although it's a short contract, we hope he would be here for a very long time," Kupchak said.
- Talks between the Wolves and Nikola Pekovic are still going on, but they're moving slowly, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, who figures they'll drag on into next week, at least. President of basketball ops Flip Saunders characterizes the negotiations as "progressing," Zgoda observes in another tweet.
- Saunders also indicated that the Wolves aren't planning another major move this summer. "What you see is what you get," he said, as Zgoda notes via Twitter.
- The Warriors' ambitions of opening a San Francisco arena by 2017 seemed far-fetched in the beginning, and it's becoming clear that the building won't be ready until 2018 at the earliest, as Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group details.
Atlantic Rumors: Nets, Kirilenko, Kenyon, Knicks
GM Billy King says there's nothing untoward about the Nets discount signing of Andrei Kirilenko, despite whispers about under-the-table dealings, as Newsday's Roderick Boone reports.
"I can’t control what people think, what they say," King said. "I think some of the same things were said when Miami got the Big 3 together or guys have moved around. When things happen, people are surprised. My conscience is clean. I know in dealing with [Kirilenko's agent] Marc Fleisher and getting this deal done, I can’t control what people think."
There's more on Kirilenko's decision and other Atlantic Division rumblings, as we detail:
- King said Kirilenko rejected the Nets' pursuit earlier this month, but the forward had changed his mind by the time King checked in with him again, Boone notes in the same piece.
- The Knicks are eyeing free agent Kenyon Martin as they look for a backup big man, and Martin is keeping the Knicks in mind, guard Iman Shumpert tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Wolves assistant Bill Bayno and Rockets assistant Jesse Mermuys are set to join Dwane Casey's staff with the Raptors, as Eric Koreen of the National Post passes along.
- Philadelphia GM Sam Hinkie held forth on all things Sixers in his interview with HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram, affirming that ownership is on board with the drastic changes he's making to the team.
- The Sixers' acquisition of Nerlens Noel for Jrue Holiday, Hinkie's first major move, became official today, as did the Celtics/Nets blockbuster. Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press examines Brooklyn's high-priced gamble.
Pelicans, Sixers Finalize Trade
The Pelicans and Sixers have officially announced their swap involving Jrue Holiday and Nerlens Noel, a trade that was agreed upon on draft night but held up until after the July Moratorium. The Pelicans bring aboard Holiday and Pierre Jackson, the 42nd pick in last month's draft, in exchange for Noel and a 2014 first-round draft choice. The 2014 pick will remain with the Pelicans if it falls in the top five.
The delay in finalizing the trade stemmed from the Pelicans' inability to absorb Holiday's $9,213,484 salary until the NBA's calendar flipped over to 2013/14 this month, and the newlywed Holiday's honeymoon caused a further holdup. The 23-year-old point guard is now finally entrenched in New Orleans, where he'll begin drawing paychecks from the four-year, $41MM extension he signed last October with the Sixers a few months before making his first All-Star appearance.
Noel, who seemed the odds-on favorite to become the No. 1 pick last month, heads to Philadelphia after slipping to the No. 6 spot in the draft. The 7'0" center from Kentucky will miss the first part of the season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in his only collegiate season. The 5'10" Jackson, the other 2013 draftee involved in the swap, heads to New Orleans after distinguishing himself as a point guard at Baylor.
That protection attached to the 2014 first-rounder extends in perpetuity, so if the Pelicans wind up with a string of top-five picks over the next few years, they won't have to give them up, as Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. For additional details about the swap, see our post about the initial agreement.
Mavs Scrap Deal With Devin Harris
7:46pm: The injury to Harris prompted the Mavs to sign Ellis, Stein writes. That makes sense, since GM Donnie Nelson said two days ago that the team likely wouldn't be in the mix for Ellis, comments that seemed misleading when word broke of the Mavs' agreement with Ellis earlier today. The money that was to go to Harris is now set to go to a big man, according to Stein, so perhaps the club won't be signing another point guard. The Mavs envisioned Harris starting at shooting guard, as he often did with the Hawks, Stein says, so that lends further credence to the Ellis-for-Harris substitution.
6:51pm: A toe injury has prompted the Mavericks to nix their agreement to sign Devin Harris to a three-year, $9MM deal, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The decision was mutual, Stein notes. Dallas remains interested in signing him, but the surgery required is expected to keep Harris out until the start of the regular season, according to Stein (Twitter link). First-round pick and fellow point guard Shane Larkin suffered a broken ankle in summer league practice, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports notes via Twitter, so it's possible the pair of injuries prompted the Mavs to call off their plans with Harris.
"All indications" are the Mavs will sign Monta Ellis using cap room instead of a sign-and-trade with the Bucks, Stein tweets. So, the decision not to sign Harris gives the club the flexibility to sign a big man as well, with Samuel Dalembert still the primary target, according to Stein (Twitter link).
The Mavs have signed point guards Jose Calderon and Gal Mekel to deals this summer, as our Free Agent Tracker shows, and they have Josh Akognon on a non-guaranteed contract, so they're not entirely devoid of help at the position. Still, Calderon is the only point guard with more than eight games of NBA experience on the roster now, so perhaps the team will look elsewhere. Aaron Brooks, D.J. Augustin and Beno Udrih are among veteran point guards still available on the free agent market, though none have been linked to Dallas this summer.
Harris, an Excel Sports Management client, remains an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks had been in touch with his representatives prior to his decision to head to Dallas, and the former No. 5 overall pick out of Wisconsin said this spring that he'd be open to listening to offers from the Bucks. Milwaukee has hired former Hawks coach Larry Drew, inked Zaza Pachulia and has a signed offer sheet from Jeff Teague, all of whom played with Harris in Atlanta this past season.
Sixers To Interview Jay Larranaga
The Sixers will interview Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga for their vacant head coaching position, sources tell Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com. He joins Sixers assistant Michael Curry in the mix for the vacancy, as Curry is also reportedly scheduled to sit down with the Philadelphia brass.
Larranaga appeared to be a candidate for the top job in Boston before it went to Brad Stevens. Doc Rivers was interested in bringing Larranaga on as an assistant with the Clippers, but he instead remained in Boston as the only holdover from Rivers' staff. Larranaga coached the C's entry in the Orlando summer league this week.
The 38-year-old Larranaga has served as a head coach in the D-League and overseas, as Lynam points out. This past season on Boston's bench was his first as an NBA assistant.
The Sixers are the final team in the NBA with an open head-coaching position, after a dozen other teams changed coaches this offseason. New GM Sam Hinkie has taken a deliberate approach to the search, preferring to first fill out his front office staff.
Cavs Sign Jarrett Jack
JULY 12TH, 10:18am: The Cavaliers have officially finalized their deal with Jack, according to a press release from the team.
JULY 6TH, 4:44pm: The final year of Jack's salary is partially guaranteed, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. That may mean it's not a team option as reported below, but that wouldn't necessarily be the case. Gustavo Ayon's deal with the Bucks includes a team option that's already been picked up for this season, but the contract is still non-guaranteed.
3:56pm: The Cavaliers and Jarrett Jack have agreed on a four-year, $25MM deal, a source tells Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter link). Jack, like Carl Landry, spent last season with the Warriors, but with Landry set to sign with the Kings, it looks like both are headed for new teams. The last year of Jack's deal will be a team option, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
The Excel Sports Management client helped the Warriors off the bench last season, notching 12.9 points per game on 40.4% three-point shooting. It appears he'll fill the same sixth-man role for the Cavs behind guards Kyrie Irving and Dion Waiters, according to Windhorst (on Twitter). When I examined Jack's free agent stock this spring, I expected a team with cap space would make him an offer for a $6MM annual salary, and it looks like that's about what happened.
The Warriors, Nuggets and Mavs were among the teams that had contact with Jack on the first day of free agency, and Dallas appeared to be intensifying its pursuit after Dwight Howard turned them down. The Mavs agreed to sign Jose Calderon last night, so perhaps that prompted them to drop out of the race for Jack.
It looked like the Warriors were poised to renounce Jack's Bird rights yesterday, but assuming the Nuggets agreed to a sign-and-trade for Andre Iguodala, they wouldn't necessarily have had to do so, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors points out. Now, it's a moot point, since Jack and Landry, Golden State's 29-year-old bench free agents, are headed elsewhere.
It's the second signing of the summer for the Cavs, who also used some of their ample cap space on a two-year, $9MM deal for Earl Clark, as our free agent tracker shows. Jack's is the first of the deals to include guaranteed money beyond next season. Only Anderson Varejao's deal extends beyond 2014, though Jack and first-round picks Anthony Bennett and Sergey Karasev will add to next summer's ledger.