Western Notes: Aldridge, Chandler, Booker
Blazers executive Neil Olshey said the team found out LaMarcus Aldridge was signing with the Spurs after his second meeting with San Antonio on July 3rd, Mike Tokito of The Oregonian writes. Olshey also took offense to the suggestion that he and the Blazers were trying to hide Aldridge’s pending departure from fans and the media, calling it “patently false,” Tokito adds. “More than anything, what was the upside to lying? What? What did we buy? Five days of peace? I can guarantee you there was no peace,” Olshey said. “What was our motivation to lie for 96 hours? It wasn’t like there was some big season ticket holder push during that 96 hours. There wasn’t some sponsorship that was up, it wasn’t that we were recruiting some other free agents that were only going to come if LaMarcus was going to be here.”
Here’s more out of the Western Conference:
- Olshey also fielded questions regarding whether or not the team considered trading Aldridge last season, Tokito tweets. The GM relayed that it would have been extremely difficult to trade Aldridge in final year of his contract, and that teams wouldn’t be willing to deal for the forward without knowing if he’d re-sign with them, Tokito adds.
- The Mavericks have expressed interest in former Wizards big man Kevin Seraphin, Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops reports (Twitter link).
- The Suns are thrilled with their signing of center Tyson Chandler to a free agent deal, Matt Petersen of NBA.com writes. “The first thing I think of when I think of Tyson Chandler is a winner and winning,” GM Ryan McDonough said. “His teams in New York won a lot. His teams in Dallas won a lot, including a championship. The World Championship [with USA Basketball] in Istanbul when I was there five years ago won the gold. He’s always won everywhere he’s gone.”
- The Blazers have promoted Jim Moran to assistant coach to replace the recently fired Kim Hughes, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian tweets.
- The Jazz are likely to keep Trevor Booker on the roster for next season, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune relays (on Twitter). Only $250k of the $4,775,000 Booker is set to earn in 2015/16 is guaranteed.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Hackett, Nets
The Celtics‘ primary goal this season will be to make he franchise as attractive as possible to free agents hitting the market during next Summer, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. With the team expected to have approximately $40MM to spend on free agents in 2016, the team has to develop its young core enough to convince big names like Kevin Durant that they can win in Beantown, Blakely adds.
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Euro guard Daniel Hackett will work out for the Knicks in Las Vegas, David Pick of Eurobasket relays (Twitter links). Hackett, who is also on the radar of the Mavs and Rockets, was offered a contract by the Greek club Olympiacos, but the 27-year-old wants to explore his NBA opportunities before heading back overseas, Pick adds.
- Nets GM Billy King‘s first two calls when the free agent signing period began were to Shane Larkin and Thomas Robinson, Rod Boone of Newsday tweets. Both players officially signed with Brooklyn today.
- When King was asked if he expected Deron Williams and Joe Johnson to remain on the Nets‘ roster, he responded, “at this point, yes,” Boone tweets. King also indicated that the reports of the team trying to deal Johnson have been exaggerated, Boone adds.
- The Knicks are still in contact with the representatives for Alexey Shved, Cole Aldrich and Louis Amundson, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
- The Nets will still look to add another big man to the roster, King indicated, but the team wants to get as close to, if not under, the luxury tax line as it can, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter).
Rockets Re-Sign Patrick Beverley
JULY 9TH, 8:12pm: The deal is official, the Rockets announced.
JULY 3RD, 6:14pm: The Rockets and restricted free agent Patrick Beverley have reached an agreement that will see the point guard return to Houston, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The deal is for four years and $23MM, Wojnarowski relays. The final year of the contract will pay Beverley $5MM, and is non-guaranteed, Mark Berman of FOX 26 tweets.
Beverley appeared in 56 games for the Rockets last season, 55 as a starter. His numbers on the year were 10.1 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 3.4 assists, with a slash line of .383/.356/.750. His career numbers since being selected with the 42nd overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft are 8.9 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 3.0 APG.
The 26-year-old was reported to be nearing a deal with the Kings by Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders earlier this evening. The Mavericks, Knicks, Bulls, and Cavaliers were also interested in signing Beverley.
Mavs Acquire Zaza Pachulia From Bucks
8:02pm: The trade is official, the Mavericks and Bucks announced via press release. A future second-rounder is on the way to the Bucks in the transaction.
7:55pm: The Bucks would receive a second round pick in return from Dallas, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
7:53pm: The Mavericks and Bucks are engaged in discussions regarding Dallas acquiring Zaza Pachulia, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). It’s unclear what Milwaukee is seeking in return for the 31-year-old center, be it draft picks or players. Pachulia is set to earn $5.2MM next season, the final year of his current deal.
Dallas is badly in need of help at center after being spurned by unrestricted free agent DeAndre Jordan, who reversed course on Dallas after reaching a verbal agreement on a contract and returned to the Clippers. Pachulia would certainly be a step down talent-wise from Jordan or last year’s starter, Tyson Chandler, but the Mavericks are stuck having to sift through the remaining available players in the wake of the flurry of signings that became official today.
Pachulia appeared in 73 games for the Bucks last season, including 45 as a starter, and averaged 8.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.4 assists in 23.7 minutes per contest. His slash line was .454./.000/.788. Through 12 NBA campaigns the big man’s numbers are 7.0 PPG, 5.6 RPG, and 1.2 APG.
Reactions To DeAndre Jordan Signing
DeAndre Jordan officially re-signed with the Clippers today after changing his mind regarding the verbal contract agreement he had made with the Mavericks. Jordan’s deal is for four years, $87.6MM, with a player option after the third season, and includes a 15% trade kicker. Wednesday night was a surreal event as Clippers officials camped out at Jordan’s Houston area home until the July moratorium officially came to an end at midnight Eastern time, and Jordan could officially sign the agreement. Here are some of the reactions around the league regarding this unusual event:
- Mavs owner Mark Cuban took exception to a report made by ESPN’s Chris Broussard which stated that Cuban was desperately contacting Jordan’s relatives in a last-ditch effort to sway the big man toward Dallas on Wednesday evening. Cuban posted a message via CyberDust (h/t Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com) saying that he hadn’t spoken with Jordan since Tuesday night, and that the owner even offered to let unrestricted free agent Wesley Matthews out of his own verbal agreement with Dallas.
- Broussard stood by his report (via Twitter), relaying that multiple sources had informed him that Cuban was attempting to contact Jordan on Wednesday night, and if Cuban was able to obtain Jordan’s address, he would have attempted to visit the center in an attempt to change Jordan’s mind yet again.
- The NBPA issued a statement regarding the moratorium as it relates to the Jordan situation (h/t Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe), which read, “The moratorium period exists for both players and teams to thoughtfully weigh and consider options before signing any contracts. And while we fully support the opportunity to review options, we also acknowledge there is a risk for both players and teams for the other party to change his mind during discussions. We all walk into these conversations understanding that as with any business contract, it’s not a deal until the paper is signed.“
- The Mavs will have no choice now but to rebuild, writes MacMahon in a separate piece. The snub by Jordan and the departure of Tyson Chandler to the Suns have left the organization with few options for next season at the pivot, MacMahon opines.
- Zach Lowe of Grantland proposes that the NBA ban all contract talks until the end of the moratorium on July 9th, so that when discussions officially commence, they can lead to enforceable, signed contracts right away.
- Mavericks former minority owner/GM Frank Zaccanelli said that Dallas may be thankful down the line that it missed out on Jordan, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News relays. “They dodged a bullet,” Zaccanelli said of Jordan’s decision. “He’s a really good rebounder and a good defender. But he’s a liability on offense and there’s no way he’s going to be able to be your focus offensively. He can’t make fouls shots and he has no outside shot. Plus, Dallas is the hottest market in the world right now and somebody doesn’t want to be there, and he wasn’t going to be the centerpiece of the franchise anyway, then the Mavericks shouldn’t want him.”
Hawks Sign Justin Holiday
THURSDAY, 6:18pm: The deal is official, the Hawks announced in a press release. “Justin’s abilities on both ends of the court excited us as we looked to add depth on the wing,” coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said. “His combination of length and versatility with a great work ethic give him a chance to be a solid contributor on the court, and his experience on a championship team this past season and his high-character will be great positives for our locker room.”
6:14pm: Holiday’s deal is for two years, and is fully guaranteed, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution tweets.
WEDNESDAY, 5:46pm: The Hawks have reached an agreement on a contract with unrestricted free agent Justin Holiday, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The exact length and amount of the deal has not been disclosed at this time.
The 26-year-old spent last season with the NBA champion Warriors, appearing in 59 games and averaging 4.3 points, 1.2 rebounds, and 0.8 assists in 11.1 minutes per contest. His shooting numbers were .387/.321/.822. His career averages are 4.4 PPG, 1.3 RPG, and 0.9 APG.
Golden State had declined to extend Holiday a qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent, and the team was considering re-signing him for less than the $1.147MM tender that would have counted against the team’s cap figure. The shooting guard will provide depth at the wing for the Hawks, who are set to lose unrestricted free agent DeMarre Carroll to the Raptors.
Mavericks Sign Wesley Matthews
5:40pm: Matthews’ deal is now for the max, at four years and about $70MM, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets, since DeAndre Jordan pulled his about-face and signed with the Clippers.
JULY 9TH, 5:33pm: The signing is official, the Mavericks announced in a press release. “We just like him as a culture guy — his toughness and work ethic. He’s become a terrific player,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s a different kind of guy than we’ve had here, but he can play both wing positions. He can post up, he’s a great three-point shooter, and he’s developed a post game to where he can both score and make plays out of the post. We think he’s going to bring a lot to our team.”
JULY 3RD, 7:23am: The deal will probably average about $13MM a year, but that’s flexible, pending Jordan’s decision, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. Presumably, a commitment from Aldridge would affect the final Matthews numbers as well, but that’s just my speculation.
JULY 2ND, 11:59pm: The Mavericks have an agreement in principle from free agent Wesley Matthews that he’ll play in Dallas next season, TNT’s David Aldridge reports (Twitter link). It will be a four-year arrangement, though the final amount has not been finalized, Aldridge adds. The Mavericks are waiting on word from free agents LaMarcus Aldridge and DeAndre Jordan before settling on a final amount with Matthews, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Matthews reportedly turned down a four year, $64MM offer from the Kings, who also coveted the swingman, as Aldridge notes (on Twitter). Dallas was reported to be extremely reluctant to meet Matthews’ asking price considering the frightening history of players who came back from torn Achilles tendons, noted Stein. The Mavs wanted to sign Matthews to a deal with salaries in the $10-12MM range annually, the ESPN scribe added. The Raptors were also reported to have interest in Matthews.
The shooting guard tore his left Achilles tendon on March 5th, 60 games into the season. Portland went 41-19 with the guard in the lineup and just 10-12 without him. Matthews’ 2014/15 numbers were 15.9 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 33.7 minutes per contest, with a slash line of .448/.389/.752. His career numbers through 441 games are 14.3 PPG, 3.1 RPG, and 2.1 APG, with a shooting line of .443/.393/.825. Not too shabby numbers for a player who went undrafted out of Marqutte back in 2009.
Lakers Sign Anthony Brown
4:47pm: The deal is for three years, and includes a team option for the final season, Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports (on Twitter).
3:41pm: The Lakers have signed 2015 second round pick Anthony Brown, the team announced. The exact terms of the deal were not released, but the press release states that it is a multiyear arrangement. The forward out of Stanford was selected with the No. 34 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
Brown appeared in 37 games, including 36 starts, for the Cardinal last season, logging 14.8 points, 6.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists while shooting 43.1% from the field and 44.1% from beyond the arc. His career numbers are 10.8 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 1.6 APG, with a slash line of .427/.403/.751.
The forward helped Stanford capture the 2015 NIT championship, and he was named to the Pac-12 All-Academic Second Team in addition to earning an All-Pac-12 Honorable mention for the 2014/15 campaign.
Blazers Ink Pat Connaughton
The Trail Blazers have officially announced the signing of Pat Connaughton. The details of the contract were not released. The rights to the swingman were acquired from the Nets in the trade that brought Mason Plumlee to Rip City.
“Pat’s character, competitive nature and ability to make shots will be a welcomed addition to our team,” said Neil Olshey, Portland’s president of basketball operations. “He is an excellent fit for our basketball system and our culture.”
Connaughton, 22, is an exceptional athlete who possesses good shooting range. He appeared in 139 career games while at Notre Dame, averaging 10.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. His career slash line was .450/.386/.777. He was the 58th best prospect in this year’s draft according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
Wizards Acquire Jared Dudley
JULY 9TH, 4:00pm: The deal is official, the Bucks and Wizards announced. Washington is sending a protected second-rounder to the Bucks in exchange for Dudley. “Jared’s versatility and shooting ability will give us depth at both forward positions and allow us to use him in a variety of lineups,” said Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld. “We are also looking forward to the leadership and veteran presence that he will bring both on the court.”
JULY 2ND, 5:57pm: The Wizards are closing in on a deal that would net them Jared Dudley of the Bucks, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). Washington is expected to use a trade exception to accommodate Dudley’s contract, and are expected to ship out a protected second round pick in return, Stein adds. The Wizards own a pair of trade exceptions, $2.3MM and $4.6M, and Dudley is set to earn $4.25MM in 2015/16, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (via Twitter).
Washington has a void at small forward in the wake of Paul Pierce taking his game to the Clippers on a free agent deal. Dudley can certainly help fill that void, as well as provide the Wizards’ young roster with a veteran presence. The 29-year-old appeared in 72 games for Milwaukee last season, averaging 7.2 points, 3.1 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, with a shooting line of .468/.385/.716. His career stats through 595 games are 8.5 PPG, 3.4 RPG, and 1.5 APG. His career slash line is .468/.396./.736.
Dudley, who turns 30 on July 10th, came to the Bucks in a deal last August with the Clippers. At the time, he wasn’t happy with the move, but he said back in March that he eventually became comfortable in Milwaukee, thanks in part to Jason Kidd‘s coaching style. The forward opted in for next season, and he and the Bucks were expected to work out a long-term arrangement. The veteran appreciated that the Bucks provided him an opportunity to showcase his abilities when healthy. “The trade [to Milwaukee] was the best thing for my career, where I got with a training staff that got me healthy and when I’m healthy, I’m the player you see now and the player you saw in Phoenix,” said Dudley, who claimed that he played the entire 2013/14 season with a fracture in his right knee at the request of Doc Rivers.