Free Agent Stock Watch: Tayshaun Prince
Players in the twilight of their careers often need to exercise patience when they hit the free agent market. That’s especially true for a veteran hoping to hook on to a contending team and get one last chance to earn a championship ring. Such is the case with small forward Tayshaun Prince, who won an NBA title with the Pistons in 2004 and was a fixture on a unit that reached the Eastern Conference Finals six consecutive years from 2003-08.
Prince got traded twice last season in his walk year. The Grizzlies, who traded for him midway through the 2012/13 season from Detroit, dealt him to the Celtics in January as part of a three-team deal in which Memphis acquired Jeff Green. Prince only appeared in nine games with the Celtics before he was shipped back to the Pistons at the trade deadline for forwards Jonas Jerebko and Luigi Datome. Prince initially thought the Pistons would release him but Detroit needed another small forward after dealing starter Kyle Singler to the Thunder as part of the Reggie Jackson trade.
He appeared in 23 games in his second stint with Detroit, including seven starts, and showed that he still had some life in his 35-year-old legs by averaging 7.3 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 24.8 minutes. That included a 23-point, 7-rebound outing at Orlando on March 27th.
He may have lost a step but he still has those long arms to distract opponents defensively and knows the ins and outs of team defense. He’s a facilitator on offense, though more of a No. 4 or 5 scoring option at this stage of his career. He can also play some power forward in smaller lineups.
Seeking younger options at his spot, the Pistons had no interest in bringing back Prince. They wound up drafting Stanley Johnson and trading for Marcus Morris this summer. Meanwhile, from all appearances, Prince has not received much attention on the open market.
Sam Amico reported in his weekly column for Hoops Rumors late last month that the Trail Blazers had shown interest in the BDA Sports Management client. The Spurs reportedly contacted Prince at the beginning of free agency and the Cavs also looked into pursuing him. But the Spurs have seemingly filled their needs during a highly-successful summer highlighted by the signing of prized free agent LaMarcus Aldridge. Any hope for Prince to land in Cleveland was lost when it signed another 35-year-old small forward, Richard Jefferson.
The Blazers don’t fit the profile of a contender without Aldridge, so that would be a fallback option at best for Prince. Portland brought in two younger options at that position this summer, adding Al-Farouq Aminu in free agency and trading for Maurice Harkless.
Thus, Prince might have to take a wait-and-see approach, hoping an opportunity arises with a club that feels it needs frontcourt depth and another savvy, sage voice in its locker room. The wait could stretch into the regular season, when an injury might cause a playoff-caliber team to scour the landscape for available options.
Prince, who made $7,707,865 last season, said back in March that he felt he could play effectively for another two or three seasons. It’s likely Prince will have to settle for a one-year offer, unless the second year includes a team option.
What other teams might have interest? Pure speculation but it would seem the Wizards could be a good fit, considering they lost Paul Pierce and play a half-court style suited to Prince’s game. The Mavericks, who lost Jefferson, may also come calling, since Prince was drafted by the Pistons when Dallas coach Rick Carlisle was entering his second season as Detroit’s head man.
The Hawks, who lost DeMarre Carroll in free agency, could be a logical landing spot for Prince. The Rockets could also use some frontcourt depth, though they drafted Sam Dekker.
Prince has enough left in the tank that someone will eventually come calling. He’ll just have to stay patient until that time comes.
Nets Waive Earl Clark
AUGUST 10TH, 4:02pm: The move has indeed taken place, the team announced via press release.
AUGUST 3RD, 8:07pm: The Nets will waive forward Earl Clark this week so that he can pursue a deal elsewhere, league sources told RealGM’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com confirms the impending transaction and notes that the Nets will be down to 16 players under contract for the upcoming season (Twitter links).
Clark epitomizes the journeyman label, having played for six teams since entering the league in 2009/10. The 6’10” Clark appeared in 10 games with the Nets last season, averaging 2.7 points and 2.3 rebounds in 9.3 minutes.
Back in June, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported that the 27-year-old wanted to stay with Brooklyn but his non-guaranteed salary made him expendable (Twitter links). Clark was scheduled to earn $1,185,784.
Mavs Sign Samuel Dalembert
AUGUST 6TH, 1:27pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
JULY 25TH, 1:19pm: The Mavericks have reached a one-year agreement with veteran center Samuel Dalembert, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports tweets. According to ESPNDallas.com’s Tim MacMahon, Dalembert will receive the veteran’s minimum (Twitter link).
This comes as no surprise, as ESPN’s Marc Stein reported nearly two weeks ago that the parties had mutual interest. Stein tweeted on Saturday that the Mavs are still looking at other center options, as they are in advanced talks with Tunisian center Salah Mejri and have not ruled out JaVale McGee if he’s healthy.
Dalembert was the Mavs’ No. 1 center as recently as 2013-14, when he started 68 games for them. He was then included in the Tyson Chandler swap with the Knicks. The 34-year-old only played 32 games for New York, including 21 starts, and averaged 4.0 points and 5.3 rebounds.
He gives the club additional depth behind Zaza Pachulia, who wound up with Dallas in a trade with the Bucks after top free agent target DeAndre Jordan decommitted and re-signed with the Clippers.
McRae, Tokoto Headed To Sixers Camp
Jordan McRae and J.P. Tokoto will join the Sixers for training camp, a source told Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. McRae was selected in the second round in 2014 while Tokoto was chosen with the No. 58 overall pick this June. McRae spent part of last season in Australia and played for the Sixers’ summer league team in Salt Lake City. Tokoto has been negotiating a camp deal since he has no desire to play overseas or in the D-League.
McRae was selected with the 58th overall pick in 2014 by the Spurs and was dealt to the Sixers on draft night. He began last season in Australia, then was acquired in March by the Delaware 87ers, Philadelphia’s D-League affiliate. The 6’6” shooting guard averaged 18.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.8 assists with the 87ers in 13 games.
Tokoto let the Sixers know he was open to becoming a draft-and-stash pick before Philadelphia selected him, as Jake Fischer of SI Now reported shortly after the draft. The former North Carolina guard wasn’t particularly impressive in summer league action, missing all 10 of his three-point attempts and averaging just 5.7 points in 23.1 minutes per game across seven appearances. Still, he never averaged double-figure points in college, relying instead on elite defense, as Chad Ford’s ESPN Insider profile suggests. Ford ranked him the 52nd-best prospect in the draft, while Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him even higher, at No. 46.
Eastern Rumors: James, Wells, Pistons
- Dez Wells has been extended a training camp invite by the Wizards but he’s likely to turn it down, J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reports. The rookie guard from the University of Maryland was on Washington’s summer league roster but dislocated his right thumb prior to the Las Vegas summer league and did not play. Wells has five other training camp offers and feels his prospects with the Wizards are dim because they already have 15 players with guaranteed contracts, the story adds.
- Adonis Thomas is guaranteed $60K of his $845,059 contract with the Pistons, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The 6’7” shooting guard will be battling second-round pick Darrun Hilliard, among others, for a roster spot in training camp.
Northwest Notes: Christon, Brown, Wolves
Semaj Christon, the 55th pick in the 2014 draft, has signed with Italy’s Vuelle Pesaro, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Christon leaves the Thunder’s system after having spent this past season playing for Oklahoma City’s D-League team, but the Thunder retain his NBA rights as a draft-and-stash prospect. Check out our freshly updated list of draft rights held players here, compiled by Mark Porcaro.
In other news around the Northwest Division:
- Lorenzo Brown‘s minimum salary is partially guaranteed for $75K, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Brown was in line to receive $200K if he had remained on the Timberwolves roster through Saturday, as Hoops Rumors reported, before he and the Wolves changed the guarantee structure as part of a deal that would keep him on the roster for training camp, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities heard.
- The Timberwolves will keep shooting coach Mike Penberthy around, president of basketball operations Flip Saunders told of Dan Barreiro KFAN Radio (hat tip to Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press and Andrew Renschen), a move that will likely please Ricky Rubio, Krawczynski observes (Twitter links). Rubio, the team’s most highly paid player, had developed a bond with Penberthy, who hadn’t been certain to return, the AP scribe notes.
- The first two years of Tibor Pleiss‘ contract with the Jazz are fully guaranteed, with a $500,000 guarantee for the third season, Pincus reports in a separate tweet. Pleiss signed a three-year, $9MM contract on July 14th.
Southwest Rumors: Matthews, Bonner, Rockets
The Mavericks have tempered their expectations of Wesley Matthews for the upcoming season because they don’t want to jeopardize his future, according to Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said that the club won’t take any shortcuts as Matthews recovers from a torn Achilles tendon, Sneed continues. “I think the most important thing is that he makes a full recovery, because we’re signing him to a four-year deal,” Carlisle said. “The first year is more about making sure that he’s right and getting him out there on the right terms, and from there we want him to make a full recovery and continue to get better.” Matthews said in the same story that the Mavs will get their money’s worth, even though they have been criticized for giving him a $70MM deal. “It’s just going to make me hungrier to prove that I’m worth the money,” he said. “I’m not concerned with that. I just know that I can play this game, and I know that I can play it at a high level.”
In other news around the Southwest Division:
- Maurice Ndour will see $1 more the minimum on his three-year contract with the Mavericks, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). It’s fully guaranteed for this season, but the guarantees beyond that are still unknown, Pincus indicates. Brandon Ashley, Jarrid Famous and Jamil Wilson are also receiving the minimum from the Mavs this year, Pincus shows on the same page.
- Matt Bonner received a $795,000 guarantee from the Spurs on his $1.5MM deal, Pincus reports in a separate tweet. Bonner gets the full amount if he’s still on the roster on January 10th.
- Rockets executive vice president of basketball operations Gersson Rosas has been named International Player Personnel Scout for USA Basketball, the team announced Monday. Entering his fourth season with the Rockets in that capacity, Rosas was previously the Mavericks’ GM.
Eastern Rumors: Pistons, Wilbekin, Pacers
Ersan Ilyasova would have been a top target for the Pistons if he had been a free agent this summer, coach and president of basketball operations Stan Van Gundy told Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Ilyasova was acquired in a trade with the Bucks, who re-signed restricted free agent Khris Middleton, another Detroit target, according to Langlois. “If he’d been a free agent, he’d have been the guy at the top of our list at power forward,” Van Gundy said of Ilyasova. The Pistons also would not have pursued a free agent small forward if Marcus Morris had been made available sooner. He was acquired in a salary dump by the Suns in early July after Detroit came up empty in its aim to sign either DeMarre Carroll or Danny Green. “There’s no question we would have opted to take him rather than go into free agency had that been there [before July 1],” Van Gundy said to Langlois. “It wasn’t at the time, so we did try to make a play for a couple of guys. But when it didn’t work out and that presented itself, we were fortunate.”
In other news around the Eastern Conference:
- Scottie Wilbekin received a $200K guarantee from the Sixers for the upcoming season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The remainder of the four-year, $3.5MM contract that the ex-University of Florida point guard signed is not guaranteed, Pincus adds. Wilbekin will make $525,093 in the first year if he’s still on the roster January 10th. He played in Australia and Greece last season after going undrafted.
- Monta Ellis has the potential to ultimately become one of the Pacers’ greatest free agent signings, argues Mark Montieth of Pacers.com, who nonetheless ranks David West, who bolted for the Spurs this summer, as the most significant free agent addition in team history. Montieth addressed that and other topics in a mailbag format.
- Drew Gooden‘s $3.547MM salary for the 2016/17 season becomes guaranteed on July 15th, according to Pincus (Twitter link). The Wizards forward, who has a guaranteed $3.3MM contract for the upcoming season, has a no-trade restriction on his deal which lifts on January 15th.
Central Notes: Rose, Noah, Mozgov
Derrick Rose remains undecided about attending Team USA’s minicamp this month, Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com reports. Sources told Friedell that Rose is considering taking more time off before Bulls training camp in late September. If Rose skips the minicamp, he may cost himself any chance of a roster spot since USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo has said that players who wish to be considered for the 12-man roster that will represent the United States at the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro must attend the minicamp, Friedell adds. Rose was set to play in the 2012 Olympics before injuring his left knee during the NBA playoffs that year.
In other news around the Central Division:
- Joakim Noah said his health issues last season were “very humbling” and he’s eager to “prove I can help this team win big,” K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune tweets. New Bulls coach Fred Hoiberg recently visited Noah at a training facility in California and Noah “enjoyed vibing with him,” Johnson added in a separate tweet.
- Timofey Mozgov has no incentive to sign an extension with the Cavaliers since the salary cap will rise dramatically next season, according to Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Mozgov will be an unrestricted free agent after making $4.95MM during the upcoming season and he could be worth at least $15MM a year if he has another strong season, Pluto adds.
- Unrestricted Cavs free agent J.R. Smith has value on the right type of team with a one-year contract, Pluto opined in the same story. The Cavs suggested that Smith take a one-year, $6.4MM option for the upcoming season but he declined, Pluto adds.
Northwest Rumors: Burke, Huestis, Donovan
Trey Burke views the Jazz’s logjam at point guard as a source of motivation, Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune reports. This summer and upcoming season is crucial to Burke’s future with the club, Falk continues. Burke was a lottery pick in 2013 but lost his starting spot to 2014 lottery selection Dante Exum. The Jazz also have point guards Bryce Cotton, Raul Neto and Olivier Hanlan on the roster. Burke shot just 36.8% from the field and 31.8% on 3-point attempts last season while averaging 12.8 points and 4.3 assists in 30.1 minutes. His shooting percentage was the lowest of any player attempting at least 1,000 shots since 1965, Falk adds. “I just look at it as another test. A stepping stone. You can use it as motivation going into training camp,” Burke said during a conference call. “Right now, I’m really dedicating myself and, come training camp, I know I’ll be prepared, and that’s all that matters.”
In other news around the Northwest Division:
- The Thunder gave Josh Huestis the full 120% bump on his rookie scale contract and thus he will make about $1.1MM this season, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. Huestis made a pre-draft arrangement with Oklahoma City in 2014 to be taken in the first round and then delay signing a rookie contract. He spent last season with the Thunder’s D-League affiliate while making approximately $25,000. Huestis, who signed a four-year deal with a team option after the second season, is glad he took that gamble, according to Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. “Obviously I was the first to do it, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it becomes a more common practice,” Huestis said to Mayberry of the domestic-draft-and-stash route. “Not only does it give you an opportunity to stay close to your organization and stay in America, but you get to play against great competition and learn from great coaches and a great staff.”
- The focus on the Thunder this offseason has centered on new head coach Billy Donovan, Jenni Carlson of The Oklahoman writes. Donovan has already drawn rave reviews from people around Oklahoma City for his personality and seems to be a good fit with the community, Carlson adds.