Mavs Target Samuel Dalembert, Brandan Wright
JULY 11th 11:49pm: Dalembert spent all day with the Mavs on Thursday, tweets ESPN's Marc Stein, and the sides are currently still in negotiations. Stein also tweets that he's told the newly signed Jose Calderon was part of the Mavs contingent attempting to woo Dalembert to Dallas.
JULY 10th 8:17pm: Dalembert will meet with the Mavs on Thursday in Dallas, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
JULY 10th 6:06pm: Wright texted Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com today to tell him that "Dallas is the clear-cut leader" for his services. Wright added that his agent, Jim Tanner, has begun to discuss a deal with the team.
JULY 10th 5:30pm: The Mavs are in the mix for Andrew Bynum, but he's not the only center who's drawing the team's attention. The team is in "serious discussions" with Brandan Wright, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, while Samuel Dalembert figures to be the Mavs' prime target should their pursuit of Bynum fall short, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Dalembert's upside clearly isn't what Bynum's is, but since it sounds like Bynum hasn't received any offers that include more than $6MM guaranteed, they could be in the same price range. Dalembert made $6,698,565 last season in the final year of a two-year, $13.7MM contract, but he's probably in line for a paycut after limited playing time with the Bucks.
It's not clear whether the Mavs' interest in Wright is tied to Bynum or Dalembert, but the team should be most familiar with him after he spent the past two seasons in Dallas. He put up career highs in points (8.5), rebounds (4.1), and minutes per game 18.0 this past season, prompting a handful of teams to join the Mavs as suitors, including the Hawks, Magic, Pistons, Raptors and Knicks. The Knicks have just a portion of the mini mid-level exception left, and Wright appears to be out of their price range, so it seems he'll command a nice raise from his $993K minimum salary of 2012/13.
Mavericks Sign Jose Calderon
JULY 11th: The Mavericks announced today, via press release, that they have officially signed Calderon.
JULY 5th: The Mavs and point guard Jose Calderon have agreed to a four-year deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com originally reported the two sides were closing in on the deal (Twitter link). Chris Broussard of ESPN.com hears that Calderon will get a total of $29MM (on Twitter). The move appears to be the team's first step along its "Plan B" after missing out on Dwight Howard.
Calderon is leaving the Pistons, who acquired him as part of the Rudy Gay trade in January. The team had sought to re-sign him, but his decision to go to Dallas was a matter of timing, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News (Twitter link). The deal is fully guaranteed, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com, who adds that Calderon seriously considered a pitch from the Kings as well. The veteran point guard also showed interest in the Lakers, though it's not clear whether L.A. reciprocated that interest.
The 31-year-old saw his assists per game fall to 7.1 this season after averaging close to nine per game the previous two years, but he remains one the league's canniest distributors. His 11.3 points per game in 2012/13 were the second most of his career, behind only the 12.8 PPG he notched in 2008/09.
Nets Sign Shaun Livingston
JULY 11TH, 11:33am: The Nets have officially signed Livingston, according to a team release.
JULY 6TH, 5:40pm: League sources reveal to Adrian Wojnarowski at Yahoo! Sports (Twitter) that the Nets have reached an agreement for a one-year, minimum deal with Shaun Livingston. As shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database, Livingston is repped by CAA's Henry Thomas.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, confirms via Twitter. The move to grab the Cavs' back-up point guard this past year, means that the Nets' guaranteed salary equals close to $100.5MM for the coming 2013/14 season. Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld says that adding in the $80.2MM in taxes, the total Nets team payroll next season equals $180.7MM, which is an NBA record (Sulia link).
- The acqusition of the point guard Livingston comes on the heels of the Pacers signing last year's Deron Williams back-up, C.J. Watson. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal tweets that with combo guard Jack headed to the Cavs, and Livingston now gone to the Nets, the next player to leave the Cavs will be C.J. Miles.
- Livingston averaged 7.2 PPG and 3.6 APG in 49 outings for the Cavaliers last season in primarily a back-up role for Kyrie Irving.
4:50pm: The Nets are nearing an agreement with backup point guard Shaun Livingston, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The client of Henry Thomas at Creative Artists Agency split last season between the Wizards and Cavs, and multiple reports have linked him to the Nets in the past week. Brooklyn is seeking point guard depth with C.J. Watson heading to the Pacers.
If they can't convince him to take the minimum salary, the Nets would have to use part of their taxpayer's mid-level exception to bring the 27-year-old Livingston aboard. Cleveland picked him up off waivers in December, and he exceled in a backup role behind Kyrie Irving, and even started a dozen games. He averaged 7.2 points with a 3.6/1.2 assists-to-turnover ratio in 23.2 minutes per game in Cleveland.
Spencer Lund contributed to this post.
Mavs Join Pursuit Of Greg Oden
THURSDAY, 10:25am: The Mavs will receive "legit consideration" from Oden, joining the Spurs, Heat, and Cavs as serious suitors, tweets ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Meanwhile, TNT's David Aldridge hears that Oden will take his time to make a decision and may not sign until sometime in August (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 10:23pm: The Mavs reached out to Greg Oden's camp this week, and are interested in signing the former No. 1 overall pick, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The team's pursuit of Oden predates Andrew Bynum's choice of the Cavs over Dallas and other suitors, Stein adds.
The Spurs and Heat appeared the frontrunners to land Oden as of last week, Stein reported, with the Cavs farther back among several teams chasing him. Cleveland may be out of the running now that Bynum is heading there, though plenty of competition remains. The Celtics and Grizzlies have also reportedly been involved since free agency began. A report on July 1st linked Oden to the Pacers and Kings, as well as the Mavs, so this isn't the first time we've heard about Dallas getting in the mix.
Chris Copeland Signs Pacers’ Offer Sheet
JULY 11TH, 10:22am: Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that Copeland officially signed his offer sheet with the Pacers yesterday. I assume that even though the Knicks can't legally match the offer, the three-day period still must expire before Copeland formally becomes a Pacer.
JULY 5TH, 9:05pm: The precise figure of Copeland's two year deal is close to $6.2MM, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com, who also hears that no other team offered nearly as much as the Pacers (Twitter link).
7:27pm: The deal is fully guaranteed, Begley also tweets. Presumably, the Pacers are using a portion of their mid-level to get the deal done.
7:13pm: The deal is a two-year agreement worth $6MM, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, so the Knicks can't match.
7:00pm: The Pacers and Chris Copeland are finalizing an agreement on a two-year deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Since he's a restricted free agent, the Knicks will have three days to match once the deal becomes final next week, following the end of the league's July Moratorium. However, since the Knicks only have about $1.75MM left on their mini mid-level exception after committing a portion of it to Pablo Prigioni, the Pacers have the ability to make Copeland an offer New York can't match.
There were several teams in play for the John Spencer client. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com today added the Grizzlies to the list of suitors for Copeland, tweeting that the Lakers, Bucks, Jazz, and Pelicans all remained in the mix along with the Pacers. The Nuggets and Cavs were also among the teams involved, Spencer tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).
Bobcats Exploring Sign-And-Trade For Henderson
8:28am: The Bobcats' preference remains to re-sign Henderson, but the team is open to considering sign-and-trade options, says Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.
THURSDAY, 12:03am: The Bobcats are reluctant to offer Henderson a deal with a starting salary between $7.5MM and $8.5MM, Wojnarowski writes. That led the team to enter the mix for Monta Ellis, a favorite of executive Rod Higgins from their days together with Golden State.
WEDNESDAY, 11:12pm: Negotiations between the Bobcats and Gerald Henderson have hit a stalemate, and the team has begun reaching out to multiple other clubs to see if there are any sign-and-trade possibilities, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. There hasn't been much chatter about the restricted free agent this month, though teams may have been waiting to see how negotiations went between Charlotte and agent Arn Tellem.
Henderson largely plateaued this season after showing steady improvement over his first three years in the league. His points, assists and rebounding averages were virtually the same in 2012/13 as they were in the previous season, but a jump to 33% shooting from three-point range for the career 27.2% long-distance shooter shows a degree of promise, as does his 16.4 PER in 2012/13, his best number yet in that category.
Charlotte struggled to find takers for Henderson at the trade deadline, when the team was seeking either a big man, like J.J. Hickson or Timofey Mozgov, or a first-round pick. The Bobcats may have to shoot lower this time around as they seek a return for the player they took 12th overall in 2009.
Odds & Ends: Johnson, Blair, Mavs, Deng, Jazz
Pistons president of basketball operations Joe Dumars introduced free agent signee Josh Smith to the media today, but Dumars says he isn't done upgrading the roster, as Rod Beard of the Detroit News observes. The team also brought Rasheed Wallace aboard as an assistant coach this week, providing a link to its championship past. Here's more from the rest of the league as teams and players covet the Larry O'Brien trophy:
- Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears Ivan Johnson is drawing interest from several teams, including the Hawks (Twitter link). Atlanta declined to offer Johnson a qualifying offer this summer, but the team can still re-sign him as an unrestricted free agent. Johnson let go of agent Larry Williams last week.
- The Mavs have "poked around" free agent DeJuan Blair, as Jeff Caplan of NBA.com tweets, so it appears the club may have some level of interest. The team is focusing on its frontcourt, and GM Donnie Nelson doesn't think the Mavs will be bringing on any more guards, as Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram notes at the end of his roundup.
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com thinks the Mavs should have been more willing to take a risk on Andrew Bynum.
- An NBA GM from outside the Bulls organization tells Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com that Luol Deng could command between $11MM and $12MM on the open market next summer. Deng and the Bulls appear to be working toward an extension (Twitter link).
- The Jazz may have had "different conversations with Mo Williams" if the team hadn't wound up with Trey Burke on draft night, GM Dennis Lindsey told reporters today, including Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (Twitter link).
- Royce White, who's headed to the Sixers via trade, intends to play for the team, but is still reluctant to make frequent flights, as he tells Randy Peterson of the Des Moines Register (link via USA Today).
Kobe’s Delay Of Retirement Irked Dwight Howard
Kobe Bryant appears more open to the idea of playing beyond next summer than he was before his Achilles injury, but his plans to stick around longer didn't sit well with Dwight Howard, according to Ramona Shelburne and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Howard was having a difficult time envisioning himself as the star of the team with Bryant still present, sources tell Shelburne and Stein, and that appears to have persuaded the big man to sign with the Rockets instead of the Lakers.
Howard's camp apparently asked the Lakers if they were considering an amnesty of Bryant, a scenario that could have made it easier for the team to clear room for both Howard and Chris Paul. The Lakers weren't open to that idea, and they were also unwilling to make a coaching change to appease Howard, who asked the team to hire Phil Jackson during this past season.
The All-Star center and Dan Fegan client was also upset with the Lakers' marketing plan for him, as Stein and Shelburne write. Howard's closest confidant on the team was GM Mitch Kupchak, and he intended to meet with the executive to tell him in person on Friday that he had chosen to sign with the Rockets. With word out in the media that he had already picked Houston, Howard elected to simply call Kupchak instead.
Fallout From Andrew Bynum’s Deal With Cavs
Plenty of deals have become official today, the first day after the July Moratorium, but the biggest story involves an agreement struck this evening, with Andrew Bynum and his balky knees heading to the Cavs. The deal is only guaranteed for $6MM, and according to USA Today's Sam Amick, "enormous protections" are in place that would make it difficult for Bynum to get his full $12MM salary this year unless he's healthy (Twitter link). The Cavs are realisitc about Bynum's injury troubles, and are simply hopeful he'll be ready for training camp, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets. Here's more reaction to Cleveland's gamble:
- Some teams were turned off on Bynum this summer because of questions surrounding his willingness to aggressively rehab, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. He still isn't healthy enough to take part in full-court drills, TNT's David Aldridge hears.
- Neither the Hawks nor the Mavs made a formal offer to Bynum after he met with the teams this week, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
- Several executives told Chris Mannix of SI.com that they wouldn't give Bynum any more than a one-year deal for the mid-level exception (Twitter link). As Mannix points out, the Cavs gave him a deal that's only guaranteed for about the same amount of money as the non-taxpayer's mid-level.
- On Monday, well before the Bynum signing, a source told Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio that he wouldn't be surprised to see the Cavs re-sign Luke Walton if Bynum wound up in Cleveland (Twitter link).
- A Cavs executive told Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer that the team understands the risk involved with Bynum's knees. Still, the club is willing to take him on because of his upside, the exec says (on Twitter).
- Similarly, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal hears there's skepticism within the Cavs organization that Bynum will ever be the player he once was (Twitter link). The contract is well worth the risk anyway, Lloyd says.
- With Bynum joining a crowded frontcourt in Cleveland, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel figures it puts the Cavs out of the running for Greg Oden, who's also reportedly a target of the Heat (Twitter link).
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com looks at how Bynum could fit in with the Cavs, assuming he's healthy all season.
Sixers To Interview Michael Curry
The Sixers will interview Michael Curry for their head coaching position, sources tell Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Philadelphia is the only team without a head coach after a dozen others named new bench bosses this offseason. Curry, already an assistant coach with the team, had been expecting to talk to GM Sam Hinkie about the opening after summer league.
Pompey also cites reports that link Grizzlies assistant Lloyd Pierce to the job, but a source close to Pierce tells Pompey that the Sixers have not requested permission from the Grizzlies for an interview. Curry also interviewed with the Bucks before they hired Larry Drew, and was also linked to the Cavs before they wound up with Mike Brown.
It appeared Curry was set to interview with the Sixers shortly after Hinkie took over as GM in May, but it's unclear whether that meeting took place. When Hinkie came aboard, the GM said he would put the coaching search on the backburner while he put his front office staff together. Curry appeared to have the support of the players in Philly, but that may be less of a factor now that the team has begun to break up its core.