Thunder Won’t Grant Extension To Eric Maynor
Thunder GM Sam Presti said the team will not give Eric Maynor an extension, a day after trading James Harden because they couldn't reach an agreement on an extension for him, either, as Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman reports (Twitter links). Maynor, 25, will become a restricted free agent next summer, and the Thunder will have the right to match any offer he gets from another team.
Presti spoke of the point guard's value to the club and said the two sides engaged in a "positive discussion" about a deal before talks broke off. Maynor is returning this season after missing all but nine games last year with a torn right ACL. He's battled Reggie Jackson in camp for the role of primary backup to Russell Westbrook, and the rest of this season figures to serve as an audition for that role long-term. Zach Links of Hoops Rumors wrote earlier this offseason that Maynor could get an extension worth about $3.5MM per season, but talks never appeared to get serious between Maynor and the team.
The 6'3" Virginia Commonwealth product has averaged 4.5 points, 3.1 assists in 15.2 minutes per game with an 11.6 PER in his three-year career. He came to the Thunder in a trade early in his rookie season from the Jazz, who drafted him 20th overall in 2009.
Mavericks Waive Ely, Douglas-Roberts
The Mavericks have waived Melvin Ely and Chris Douglas-Roberts, the team announced via press release. The moves come on the heels of a report that team officials have convinced owner Mark Cuban to waive suspended guard Delonte West, whose roster spot Ely and Douglas-Roberts appeared to be competing for. Instead, it seems that spot will go to Eddy Curry. Ely and Douglas-Roberts, like Curry, were on non-guaranteed deals.
It's the second time Douglas-Roberts has been waived this week, as the Lakers let him go Tuesday after he averaged 4.0 points in 8.3 minutes per game over four preseason contests with L.A. Ely is a veteran of eight NBA seasons, but didn't play in the league last year, instead catching on for five games in Puerto Rico. Neither player appeared in a preseason game for the Mavs after signing Thursday.
Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com believes both will wind up with the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate for the Mavs, as the Legends hold their rights in that league.
Northwest Rumors: Harden, Dorsey, Lawson
The James Harden trade continues to make news, as Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman weighs in with a lengthy list of observations while Ken Berger of CBSSports.com deems the trade a success for the Thunder, the Rockets and Harden. Berger holds it up as an illustration of the bold, proactive moves that small-market teams must make to stay competitive. As the rest of the NBA digests what the move means, here's more news on the Thunder and their Northwest Division rivals.
- The swap likely results in a trade exception worth $2,445,480 for the Thunder, an amount equal to Cole Aldrich's salary, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors observes. The Rockets seem to be in line for an exception worth $2,354,236, based on a portion of Kevin Martin's salary. Both exceptions expire one year from yesterday, as noted on our list of trade exceptions for every NBA team.
- The Thunder and Blazers could be interested in former NBA forward Joey Dorsey, whose status with the Greek club Olympiacos is in limbo, reports Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside.
- Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post believes the Nuggets overpaid for JaVale McGee, putting the onus on the need to rectify the move by giving Ty Lawson an extension worth no less than $48MM over four seasons.
- Will Conroy's contract is partially guaranteed for $100K, and according to Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, he'll likely remain on the Timberwolves roster until Ricky Rubio proves he's healthy.
- It's the first season with a full training camp for Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin, who could use a successful year to influence the Jazz to pick up the team option on his contract for 2013/14, as Steve Luhm of The Salt Lake Tribune observes.
Reaction To James Harden Trade
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who first reported news of the James Harden trade last night, reveals that Rockets GM Daryl Morey initiated talks, and has been calling Thunder GM Sam Presti for months to check on Harden's availability. The trade disappointed some members of the Thunder, but didn't devastate them, and Russell Westbrook, in particular, is high on what Oklahoma City got in return. Many in the organization believed Harden, whose sulking about a lack of shots following the Thunder's Game 1 victory in the Finals this June drew rebuke from Kendrick Perkins and Derek Fisher, wouldn't have performed well under the pressure of having to play for a fat contract next summer. As the impact of the trade sinks in around the league, here's what people are saying.
- Presti didn't want to deviate from a precedent of having players sacrifice at the negotiating table for the betterment of the team, writes Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.
- Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News believes the Thunder might not be done dealing, since Martin's $12.44MM expiring contract would be an attractive trade deadline asset, a sentiment echoed by HoopsWorld's Steve Kyler (Twitter links).
- John Hollinger of ESPN.com thinks the Thunder did the best they could under trying circumstances, while the Rockets, who could afford to sign another player to a maximum-salary deal next summer, have vastly strengthened their position as a destination for marquee free agents (Insider only).
- Royce Young of DailyThunder.com says the deal was unnecessary for the Thunder and reveals the "ugly, nasty and deceitful" side of pro sports. For CBSSports.com, Young looks at the deal's winners and losers.
- Matt Moore of CBSSports.com gives the Thunder a grade of D for messing with a team that could have won the title this year, and the Rockets a B for acquiring a star, even if there are questions about whether he can be a No. 1 option. Moore also examines how Harden will fit on the court in Houston.
- Presti wound up being punished for drafting too well, Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News opines.
- The deal was simply all about money for the Thunder, observes Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today.
- Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun took the Thunder to task via Twitter for a "horrible" trade, while criticizing Harden for valuing money over championships (All Twitter links).
Bobcats Waive Josh Owens, DaJuan Summers
The Bobcats have waived training camp invitees Josh Owens and DaJuan Summers, the team announced. Both were on non-guaranteed deals, and their departures leave the team's roster at 14 players. Cory Higgins is the only player with a non-guaranteed contract remaining in Charlotte.
Owens, a 6'8" power forward who ranked 83rd on the list of the top 100 draft prospects this year by Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider only), went undrafted out of Stanford, but wound up on the Bobcats' summer league team before getting the camp invitation. He appeared in just two games over the summer, however, and didn't see any preseason game action.
Summers, also 6'8", was the 35th overall pick in 2009, but hasn't made much of an impact in three NBA seasons, averaging 3.4 points and 1.0 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game for his career. He put up 2.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG over 7.5 MPG in six preseason contests for the Bobcats this month.
Atlantic Rumors: Rivers, Allen, Nets, Knicks
Celtics coach Doc Rivers weighed in on Ray Allen's departure from the team in a radio interview with 98.5 The Sports Hub in Boston, as Brian Robb of Celtics Hub transcribes (hat tip to ESPNBoston.com), but Allen is anxious to move past his acrimonius departure from Boston, as Tom Haberstroh of ESPN.com writes. Here's the rest of the day's news from Atlantic Division clubs.
- A spokesperson for Mikhail Prokhorov insists the billionaire's return to politics won't have any bearing on his ownership of the Nets, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
- Deron Williams believes the Knicks got a better point guard when they switched out Jeremy Lin for Raymond Felton this summer, as Tim Bontemps of the New York Post documents.
- With Amare Stoudemire sidelined up to five weeks, Rasheed Wallace would seem to be in line for a more significant role than originally planned for the veteran who appears to have made the Knicks on a non-guaranteed deal, writes Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. Still, it's unclear whether Wallace will be in condition to play by this week's opener.
- While delivering some parting shots to outgoing commissioner David Stern, Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News says the Sixers face as significant a decision as any in the league about whether to re-sign Andrew Bynum, and adds that the team would be "crazy" to commit major money to him right now.
- Andray Blatche has made the Nets opening-night roster on a non-guaranteed deal, but in the wake of taunts from Knicks guard Iman Shumpert, Blatche knows he'll continue to face criticism for last year's subpar play with the Wizards, as Roderick Boone of Newsday examines.
- Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com passes along Rivers' reflections on the last five seasons with the Celtics.
- A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com looks at how a deep bench could serve the Celtics well.
Wizards Waive Steven Gray, Shavlik Randolph
The Wizards have waived camp invitees Steven Gray and Shavlik Randolph, the team announced via press release. The subtraction of the pair, both of whom were on non-guaranteed deals, leaves the team with 17 players, meaning at least two more cuts are still to come. Earl Barron, Brian Cook, Shelvin Mack and Jannero Pargo are all without full guarantees on their deals. Mack has a partial guarantee for $300K, while Pargo's contract also includes an unknown partially guaranteed amount.
Randolph went undrafted out of Duke in 2005, but has played in parts of five NBA season, his last action coming in 2009/10. He played last year in Puerto Rico and China, and averaged 2.2 points and 3.0 rebounds in 10.0 minutes over five preseason games this month. Gray saw just eight total minutes in two preseason games as he was a part of his first NBA camp since going undrafted out of Gonzaga.
Grizzlies Waive Dupree, Jordan, Murray
The Grizzlies have let go of Ronald Dupree, Jerome Jordan and Ronald "Flip" Murray, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, clearing the last of the team's non-guaranteed contracts from the books. Memphis is down to 13 players, which is the minimum it can carry.
Dupree, 31, has played in parts of six NBA regular seasons, but spent last year playing overseas in Italy and Argentina. He averaged 3.5 points in 13.1 minutes over six preseason games this year. Jordan has been linked to teams in China while still in camp this month, so he could be headed overseas after appearing in 21 games last season for the Knicks. The 33-year-old Murray is a veteran of eight NBA seasons, but hasn't played in the league since 2009/10. He played three games in the D-League last year, an unconventional destination for a player of his age.
Clippers Waive Marqus Blakely
The Clippers have waived guard Marqus Blakely, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets. He was the team's last player on a non-guaranteed deal, leaving L.A.'s roster at the regular-season limit of 15.
Blakely failed in his third attempt in as many years to make an NBA team out of training camp. The undrafted 6'5" University of Vermont product was also with the Clippers for the 2010 preseason, and went to Rockets camp last year. He appeared in three preseason games with the Clippers this year after signing in September, but failed to score a point.
The rest of the Clippers all have fully guaranteed deals, so the team's roster appears to be set for opening night.
Camp Rumors: Magic, Johnson-Odom, Heat
Perhaps the most surprising training camp cut was Quentin Richardson, whom the Magic waived despite $5.438MM worth of guaranteed money on his contract for the next two seasons. The surprising play of DeQuan Jones, who appears to have made the team on a non-guaranteed deal, pushed Richardson out the door, writes John Denton of Magic.com. There's plenty of other news about players coming and going today, in advance of the 4:00pm Central time deadline for teams to let go of camp invitees so that they clear waivers before rosters must be down to 15 players.
- While an earlier report indicated the Lakers were expected to waive Darius Johnson-Odom, Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com believes the guard still has a shot to make the team (Twitter link).
- The Heat are at the regular-season roster limit of 15 players, but Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel doesn't rule out the possibility that the team could pick up one of the guys that other teams let go in the past few days (Twitter link).
- John Rohde of The Oklahoman shares insight from Thunder coach Scott Brooks on the team's cuts and its decision to keep DeAndre Liggins. "With DeAndre, we felt that his size, his athleticism, his defensive toughness is something we are intrigued with and we like," the coach said.
- Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio saw Hollis Thompson play Thomas Robinson evenly while both were in college last season, and believes Thompson, whom the Thunder let go today, should wind up with another NBA team (Twitter link).
- The Rockets still must waive three players, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle points to reasons why Jon Brockman, JaJuan Johnson and Gary Forbes could be the ones to go.
- HoopsWorld's Derek Page checks in with Mavs waiver claim Eddy Curry, and wonders whether his 11 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in Friday's preseason game against the Bobcats might have been enough for him to win a roster spot.
- Shavlik Randolph and Steven Gray are likely out of the discussion to make the Wizards opening night roster, but Earl Barron is making a late push for a spot, as Michael Lee of The Washington Post examines.