Knicks Rumors: Camby, J.R. Smith, Copeland
The major news out of New York is last night's agreement on a trade that will bring Andrea Bargnani to the Big Apple. Marcus Camby is one of the players headed to the Raptors in return, and he caused a stir overnight, releasing a statement in which he said "it was unfortunate that I didn't get a meaningful chance to contribute" with the Knicks this past season, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets. Camby also said that while he has an affinity for Toronto and Raptors fans, he wants to be with a title contender and will evaluate his options, Spears tweets. Since Camby's under contract through 2015, he doesn't appear to have many options, and this morning he backtracked a bit via Twitter, at least on the Knicks side of the affair, thanking the Knicks and their fans for their treatment of him during his time in New York (hat tip to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com). Zwerling has much more on the Knicks this morning, so let's dive in:
- J.R. Smith agreed to meet last night with Knicks coach Mike Woodson and members of the team's front office to discuss a future in New York for the reigning Sixth Man of the Year.
- Plenty of teams are in the market for Chris Copeland, and a source tells Zwerling that the Pelicans and Bucks are prepared to make attractive bids for the forward. The Jazz and Lakers were the first two teams to inquire about Copeland when free agency started last night.
- A source close to Kenyon Martin is "confident" that the veteran wants to return to the Knicks, Zwerling writes.
- The Knicks are interested in Aaron Brooks, who was waived Sunday by the Rockets. Leon Rose, Brooks' agent, also reps Bargnani, Carmelo Anthony and Smith.
- DeJuan Blair is not a candidate to join the Knicks because of the team's limited financial flexibility, Zwerling hears.
Latest On Josh Smith
Josh Smith met with the Pistons overnight, and TNT's David Aldridge reports that the forward didn't emerge with an offer from what was nonetheless a "productive" meeting, as a source characterized the affair to Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The meeting was geared toward each side "feeling out" the other, according to Aldridge, who isn't surprised the Pistons would hold off on making an offer for now, given their interest in Andre Iguodala as well (Twitter link).
Smith is set to talk today with the Rockets and Hawks, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Like the Pistons, both teams have plenty of cap room, but Atlanta and especially Houston likely view Smith as a fallback option in case Dwight Howard signs elsewhere.
The Hawks have Smith's Bird rights, allowing them to offer a five-year deal for a total of about $25MM more than he could sign for elsewhere. GM Danny Ferry may not need to go that far for the Wallace Prather client, though, since the Pistons don't appear willing to offer him the max. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors estimated this morning that Smith could wind up with a four-year, $60MM deal.
Knicks Waive James White
SUNDAY, 1:20pm: The Knicks officially announced that they have waived White.
SATURDAY, 3:32pm: White is negotiating with several teams in China for better money than he could find in the NBA, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
2:56pm: The Knicks will let go of James White and his non-guaranteed salary for next season, agent Bill McCandless tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter link). The report indicates the Knicks will be declining a team option on White, but White is listed as having a non-guaranteed deal at ShamSports.com. White's deal was to have become fully guaranteed if he weren't waived on or before June 30th, so that amounts to a team option anyway.
Several other NBA teams are interested in the 30-year-old small forward, and White's representatives are in talks with a team in Europe, Charania writes. White's camp expects additional overseas interest to develop as well.
"I don't know what it will be, but I am sure that James will make more money in 2013-14 than he has in any prior season," McCandless said. "James loved his time with the Knicks, and he’s looking forward to a new team, where assuredly he would play more."
White, who made the two-year veteran's minimum of $854,389 this year, was set to make only the minimum salary for next season, but the team's decision doesn't come as a complete surprise considering White's limited role with the Knicks. White averaged 2.2 points in 7.6 minutes per game over 57 contests in New York this season, though he did make 16 starts when the team was dealing with injuries to its regulars. White and the Knicks had spoken about extending the guarantee deadline on his deal, but when the team came away with Tim Hardaway Jr. in Thursday's draft, that dissuaded the Knicks from changing the terms of the contract, according to Charania.
Rockets Waive Delfino, Brooks
JUNE 30TH: Houston has waived Delfino and Brooks, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, taking his cue from Rockets GM Daryl Morey, who bid them farewell via Twitter. The Rockets were reportedly trying to trade both of them before their contracts became guaranteed at the end of today, but apparently found no takers.
JUNE 16TH: The Rockets have told the agents for Carlos Delfino and Aaron Brooks that the team will not pick up the options on their contracts for next season, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The same is true for Francisco Garcia, as Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston reported last month that the team will decline his option as well. The result is a savings of $11.908MM that the Rockets plan to put toward their pursuit of a marquee free agent.
Technically, Delfino and Brooks have non-guaranteed contracts for next season that would become fully guaranteed if they're not waived by June 30th, according to ShamSports.com. Essentially, that amounts to a team option on both. Delfino was set to make $3MM and Brooks $2.508MM, while Garcia's team option is worth $6.4MM next season.
The moves could be some of the last under the current phase of the team's roster construction, as Feigen details. If the team signs a big-time free agent this summer, with Dwight Howard as its primary target, it will shift toward an emphasis on veterans. The Rockets would prefer to avoid the luxury tax in coming seasons, but they're willing to go deep into the tax to keep many of their own players who are set to hit free agency in 2015, including Omer Asik, Jeremy Lin, Chandler Parsons and Patrick Beverley.
GM Daryl Morey and company will emphasize to free agents that the team has all of its future first-round picks, after having given up this year's first-rounder, and note that those draft choices can be traded for veterans. They'll also point to the mid-level and bi-annual exceptions the team will have once it goes over the cap as a means to acquire additional veterans.
In the past few seasons, Houston has turned over its roster in pursuit of superstars, but the team appears confident it will soon have a core it can build around for the long haul. The team pursued a similar veterans-first strategy in the early days of Morey's leadership, when Tracy McGrady and Yao Ming were star players.
Hawks Extend QO To Jeff Teague
The Hawks have made a $4,531,459 qualifying offer to Jeff Teague, making him a restricted free agent, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The team hasn't officially announced the move, but Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution is also reporting the news (Twitter link). The offer was thoroughly expected, and it's largely a formality for a point guard who figures to be one of the most sought-after restricted free agents this summer.
Teague has shown steady improvement since Atlanta took him 19th overall in 2009. He averaged career highs in points (14.6) and assists (7.2) this past season while playing slightly fewer minutes per game than in 2011/12. Teague, who was originally in line for a qualifying offer of $3,469,568, met the starter criteria, which triggered a jump in his QO. Still, it's unlikely he'll take the offer, as he's expected to command a multiyear deal for much more.
The client of the ASM agency is one of many Hawks hitting free agency this summer. Only Al Horford, Louis Williams and John Jenkins are under guaranteed contracts for 2013/14 among the players currently on Atlanta's roster. Ivan Johnson is also eligible to receive a qualifying offer, for $1,202,744, but there's no word on whether the Hawks have decided to tender that to him.
Western Notes: Rockets, Iguodala, Clippers
The Rockets have been expected to waive Carlos Delfino and Aaron Brooks before their salaries become fully guaranteed at the end of today, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears the team is still pursuing 11th-hour trade possibilities for the two, despite the slim chance they'll find a deal (Twitter links). That's just one of many news items out of the West with free agency less than 12 hours away:
- With a host of teams vying for Andre Iguodala, Nuggets GM Tim Connelly and coach Brian Shaw will meet with Iguodala on Monday in Los Angeles, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- Doc Rivers is downplaying talk of a trade involving Eric Bledsoe or anyone else, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times notes. The Clippers have interest in retaining Lamar Odom and Matt Barnes, Turner reports, adding that the Lakers are also high on Barnes.
- Though the Clippers reportedly prefer Andrea Bargnani to DeMar DeRozan, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun notes that Rivers has always held DeRozan in high regard (Twitter link).
- O.J. Mayo is expected to turn down his $4.2MM player option for next season, and while his preference is to return to Dallas, the Mavs won't receive a discount, tweets Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- Carl Landry's first priority will be to re-sign with the Warriors, but he believes there will be about half a dozen teams pursuing him, and he expects the Blazers to be one of them, the power forward tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Landry reciprocates Portland's interest.
- The Suns won't be in the market for big-ticket free agents, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The team prefers to keep its cap flexibility to accomodate an enticing trade possibility or next year's crop of free agents. The Suns will be in contact with Wesley Johnson, one of their own free agents, Coro says.
- New Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro is promising an "aggressive" approach to the offseason, as Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee observes. The Kings won't simply let restricted free agent Tyreke Evans go without matching his offer or working out a sign-and-trade, writes Voisin, who pegs his market value at between $8MM and $10MM per year.
- Yesterday was the deadline for the Spurs to waive Matt Bonner before his $3.945MM salary for next season, which had been partially guaranteed for $1MM, became fully guaranteed. So, Bonner will be back, unless the team waives him via amnesty, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News points out as he examines the Spurs' offseason.
Pacers, Bucks, Knicks Eyeing Tony Allen
The Grizzlies will meet with Tony Allen soon in an attempt to keep the unrestricted free agent from the Pacers, Bucks and Knicks, who are in pursuit, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Clippers coach Doc Rivers, in charge of the team's front office, would love to work with Allen again after doing so when they were both Celtics, but it's not clear how competitive an offer from L.A. would be, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).
Allen was a member of the All-Defensive First Team this season, and has built a reputation as one of the most fearsome perimeter defenders in the league. The 31-year-old has only averaged double figures in scoring once during his nine-year career, and his 26.7 minutes per game this past season were a career high. Still, his teams have traditionally been among the best in the NBA, and some of the hardest to score against.
The Raymond Brothers client has said he believes he'll remain in Memphis, but understands that the Grizzlies may not come up with enough money to keep him. Allen made $3.3MM in 2012/13, but when I examined his free agent stock in April, I thought he would probably merit offers with a starting salary around $5.15MM, the value of the mid-level exception. That would put the taxpaying Knicks out of the running, unless they can clear a hefty amount of salary from their books. A report last month indicated the Cavs were also interested in Allen, and they, like the rest of the teams said to be chasing Allen, have greater flexibility.
Celtics Waive Terrence Williams
The Celtics have waived Terrence Williams, the team announced. Williams' salary was non-guaranteed, but would have become partially guaranteed for $200K if the Celtics had not waived him by the end of today. If he had spent all of 2013/14 on Boston's roster, he would have made $947,907, the minimum salary for a four-year veteran.
Williams spent the first part of last season in China, and earned a 10-day contract with the Celtics upon returning stateside. That turned into a deal for the rest of the season and beyond, but Williams finds himself back on the unrestricted free agent market. The team also signed D.J. White and Shavlik Randolph after their stints in China last season, though it appeared the Celtics were highest on Williams, who received his rest-of-the-season deal after only one 10-day contract instead of the pair of 10-day trials that White and Randolph had to pass. White and Randolph's contracts for 2013/14 are non-guaranteed until August 1st.
Williams, an Aaron Goodwin client and former 11th overall pick, notched 4.6 points in 13.3 minutes per game over 24 regular season contests for the Celtics this past year. Boston has made a host of changes since they were bumped in the first-round of the playoffs, allowing Doc Rivers to head to the Clippers while agreeing to a deal that will send Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to the Nets.
Pelicans Have Strong Interest In Andre Iguodala
The Pelicans have strong interest in free agent swingman Andre Iguodala, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Nuggets, Hawks, Pistons, Kings, Mavs, Warriors and Rockets are all in the mix as well, according to USA Today's Sam Amick (Twitter link). When Iguodala opted out of his contract with Denver this month, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports identified many of those teams, along with the Cavs, as likely to have interest in the Rob Pelinka client.
The Pelicans appear to be one of the most aggressive teams this offseason, already having pulled off a trade at the draft for Jrue Holiday, Iguodala's former teammate in Philadelphia. New Orleans is also said to be making Eric Gordon "very available" in trade talks. The Pelicans will have plenty of cap space available if they wish to make Iguodala a maximum-salary offer, but I'm not sure they'd need to go that far. The max for the nine-year veteran would entail a starting salary worth 30% of the salary cap, or around $19.5MM. He would have made $16.155MM had he opted in with Denver.
Among the other teams pursuing Iguodala, the Rockets and Mavs will focus first on higher priorities like Dwight Howard, as Amick tweets, also noting that the Warriors interest in Iguodala is likely only cursory, given their lack of cap space and proximity to the luxury tax line. The Warriors are pursuing Howard, too, but that, too, appears a longshot.
Wolfson On Mayo, Budinger, Belinelli, Iguodala
Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities covers a broad spectrum of Minnesota sports in his weekly Scoops column, but with the NBA draft just completed and free agency about to start, his focus this week is on the Timberwolves. Let's dive in:
- Wolfson writes that Wolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders may meet with O.J. Mayo this week, and Wolfson adds via Twitter that there's a strong belief that the meeting will indeed take place, around the same time Saunders meets with Chase Budinger.
- Minnesota is also considering Marco Belinelli.
- The Wolves are unlikely to go after Andre Iguodala, and his high price tag isn't the only reason.
- A source tells Wolfson that while the Wolves like Bucks big man Ekpe Udoh, who was rumored this week to be part of a trade for Luke Ridnour, the team is getting plenty of offers for Ridnour, and Minnesota may wind up with a more attractive player than Udoh in return.
- Bojan Dubljevic, whom the Wolves took 59th overall, will remain in Europe for at least two more years.
- Another rumor around draft time had the Wolves swapping the No. 26 pick for MarShon Brooks, but such a deal was "never that close," Wolfson writes.
- Greg Stiemsma has left agent Mike Naiditch, and the Priority Sports Agency will now handle his representation.