Hornets Re-Sign Marvin Williams
JULY 10, 11:30am: The signing is official, the team announced.
JULY 2, 4:52pm: The final season is a player option, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports (Twitter link).
4:38pm: The Hornets and Marvin Williams have struck a deal that will see the forward remain in Charlotte, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). It will be a four-year, $54.5MM arrangement, Wojnarowski adds. He joins small forward Nicolas Batum in re-signing with Michael Jordan’s club this offseason.
The 30-year-old former second round pick out of North Carolina wasn’t without alternatives to the Hornets, with Williams turning down offers in the $15MM per year range in order to remain with the team, Wojnarowski tweets. The Nets were reportedly one of the teams in pursuit of Williams, though it is unknown if the team was among those mentioned offering in excess of $15MM per. Brooklyn moved on and inked Trevor Booker to a two-year, $8MM pact once they received word that Williams was leaning toward returning to Charlotte.
Williams had a productive 2015/16 campaign, averaging 11.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.4 assists in 28.9 minutes per outing. His shooting numbers on the year were .452/.402/.833.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Perkins, Kupchak
New Kings head coach Dave Joerger wants to bring the “grit and grind” philosophy he employed in Memphis with him to Sacramento, Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee writes. “We’re going to bring that here,” said lead assistant coach Elston Turner, who was also on Joerger’s staff in Memphis. “We’re going to pick up the physicality; we’re going to put our hands on you. Teams are going to know that we’re on the floor. So the [Kings’] scoring may come down a bit, but believe me, the defensive part is going to raise up.”
“That’s what we want to do as an organization,” Joerger added. “If we’re going to play winning basketball, we feel like we’ve got to do a better job defensively, and we want to set that tone with this crew and especially the guys that are going to be on the roster. They’re going to have three steps forward in advantage when training camp comes.”
Here’s more from out of the Pacific Division:
- The Warriors didn’t make a contract offer to Marreese Speights, who inked a one-year deal with the Division-rival Clippers on Friday, Marcus Thompson of The Bay Area News Group relays (on Twitter).
- One big man the Warriors have expressed interest in adding to the roster is veteran Kendrick Perkins, who is friends with newly signed Kevin Durant, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. The 31-year-old appeared in 37 games for the Pelicans last season, averaging 2.5 points and 3.5 rebounds in 14.6 minutes per outing.
- Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak is optimistic that the team’s offseason additions will move the franchise in the right direction, but the executive stopped short of predicting a playoff berth in 2016/17, Mark Medina of The Orange County Register relays. “I’m not quite sure what to expect,” Kupchak said. “A lot has to be seen from our young players before determining how much they can help us. With the veterans, they’re going to need some help from the younger players. They need to give them energy and quickness.”
- Kupchak also discussed the signing of center Timofey Mozgov, noting that adding depth at the five was a priority heading into the offseason, Medina relays. “From the beginning, it was a priority for us to get a big player,” Kupchak said. “I’m not going to tell you who the first, second or third or fourth [option] was. But clearly we were aggressive at the center position.”
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Have a question regarding player movement, free agent rumors, the salary cap, the NBA draft, or the top storylines of the week? You can e-mail them here: hoopsrumorsmailbag@gmail.com. Feel free to send emails throughout the week, but please be mindful that we may receive a sizable number of questions and might not get to all of them.
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Rockets, Harden Agree To New Contract
If there was any doubt that the Rockets are James Harden‘s team, there should be no question who the alpha is in Houston moving forward. The shooting guard and the team have agreed to a four-year, $118MM renegotiation and extension that could keep him under contract through 2020, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. The arrangement was announced during a press conference by team owner Leslie Alexander moments ago. “We are building a new core and we are excited about locking James Harden in for a long time,” GM Daryl Morey said (Twitter link).
The arrangement provides Harden with a raise on his 2016/17 and 2017/18 salaries using cap space, plus adds two additional years at the maximum salary, Wojnarowski notes. Harden had two years and approximately $34.6MM left on his existing deal, and the renegotiation gives him nearly $10MM (2016/17) and $11MM (2017/18) raises and two extra years at $30.4MM and $32.7MM, respectively, the scribe relays. In total, the Rockets are going to fork over an additional $83.5MM over the next four years to Harden. The pact also includes a player option for the 2019/20 season, Wojnarowski tweets.
Harden, 26, is a four-time All-Star and two-time first-team All-NBA selection. He appeared in all 82 regular season games for the Rockets this past season, averaging 29.0 points, 6.1 rebounds and 7.5 assists in 38.1 minutes per outing. His shooting line on the campaign was .439/.359/.860.
Eastern Notes: Crabbe, Stephenson, Dellavedova
The Nets signing restricted free agent Allen Crabbe to a four-year, $75MM offer sheet may have shocked some around the league, but a number of NBA scouts believe the shooting guard will break out once given more playing time, writes Brian Lewis of The New York Post. “I really was impressed with Crabbe last year,” one veteran scout told Lewis. “It took me a minute or two. He had that nice fluidness to him, that long body. Allan [Houston] was that same way, and he was a hell of a player. I didn’t think Allen Crabbe would’ve made it this far and been this good. He just always struck me as I wanted a little bit more. … But he plays with more passion than I thought. He’s quiet, not pumping his chest, not gung-ho. But last year was a real good eye-opener for everybody that wanted more out of Crabbe, because they got it.”
“He reminds me a little of Tim Thomas, a lot of ability,” the scout continued. “Some nights you’ll see more than others, depending on who he plays and how hard he plays. And with Crabbe, who he plays with becomes important. … C.J. McCollum and Damian Lillard are scorers first. Now that he’s a featured player, you’ll see more of what he can do.”
Here’s more from the East:
- There have been reports stating that unrestricted free agent Lance Stephenson may be close to reuniting with the Pacers, but team president Larry Bird says those rumors are unfounded, Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star relays (Twitter link). “I think Lance and his agent are doing the talking… Right now probably a very slim chance,” Bird said.
- The second round pick the Nets acquired from Indiana as part of the Thaddeus Young swap only conveys to Brooklyn if it falls in the No. 31-No. 44 range from 2017-2022, and is unprotected in 2023 , Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- The Cavaliers shipped the Bucks $200K as part of the sign-and-trade deal involving Matthew Dellavedova, Pincus notes (on Twitter).
Raptors Sign Jakob Poeltl, Pascal Siakam
The Raptors announced via press release that they have signed 2016 draftees, Jakob Poeltl (No. 9 overall) and Pascal Siakam (No. 27 overall). Both players inked rookie scale deals that have them under contract through the 2017/18 season, with two team option years to follow. The exact financial terms of the arrangements were not relayed by Toronto in the release.
Poeltl spent two seasons at the University of Utah before making the jump to the pros. He was the 2016 Pac-12 Player of the Year and an Associated Press second-team All-American. Poeltl averaged 17.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 1.6 blocks in 36 games this past season.
Siakam, 6’9″, played two seasons at New Mexico State. He averaged 20.3 points, 11.6 rebounds and 2.2 blocks in 34 games in 2015/16 and was a unanimous choice as Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year this past season.
Hoops Rumors Originals 7/3/16-7/9/16
Here’s a look back at the original analysis generated by the Hoops Rumors staff this past week.
- You can now view complete depth charts for every NBA team at Roster Resource, the newest addition to the Trade Rumors family.
- Will Joseph highlighted some of the better basketball blogs around in his weekly installment of Hoops Links.
- We ran down the unsigned draft picks of the Pacific Division‘s teams.
- If you missed any of our daily reader-driven discussions, be sure to check out the Community Shootaround archives.
- Arthur Hill answered reader questions in our Weekly Mailbag.
- Here’s how you can follow Hoops Rumors on social media and RSS feeds.
- We reviewed our commenting policy. Play nice everyone.
- Here’s how you can follow specific players on Hoops Rumors.
Western Notes: Felton, Westbrook, Pelicans
There has been some speculation that the Thunder may look to trade Russell Westbrook in the wake of Kevin Durant‘s departure, but during an appearance on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd,” Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical noted that there remains a very good chance the star will continue his career in OKC (h/t Erik Horne of The Oklahoman). “Right now, his mindset in on the team they have and can we add pieces in the short term, can we go out in free agency,” Wojnarowski said. “That doesn’t mean he’s not leaving next year, but his attitude isn’t ‘aww man, Kevin left. I’m screwed, I need to get out of here.’”
“He’s been … I’ve been told Russell’s been very determined to lead the team they have, and I know that Russell really likes the town. He loves bringing in Victor Oladipo … Steven Adams. Those are his guys,” Wojnarowski continued. “He thinks they’re a real talented team that if they can add another significant piece it puts them right back in contention. I think he’s embracing this, and he can go out next summer and get a $200MM dollar extension with Oklahoma City.”
Here’s more from out West:
- Interest in Mavericks unrestricted free agent Raymond Felton has picked up in recent days, with five teams circling the point guard, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group tweets. The 32-year-old made 80 appearances for Dallas in 2015/16, averaging 9.5 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.6 assists in 27.4 minutes per outing.
- Pelicans head coach Alvin Gentry noted that the team is seeking more than just talent when exploring the free agent market this summer, Justin Verrier of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). “We were gonna add high-character guys,” Gentry said. “I think that’s where the league is going now. If you look around most of the teams they’ve got interchangeable parts, but they’ve got guys that are all about the team. They’re trying to figure out what makes the team better. I think for us, you talk about Anthony Davis and Jrue Holiday, and adding these two kids and some of the other guys that we signed, I like the makeup of our team. What we have to do is see how it all meshes together.“
Pacers Sign Al Jefferson
JULY 9th, 10:08am: The signing is official, the Pacers announced.
JULY 1st, 12:10pm: The Pacers and Jefferson are in agreement, according to Stein, who says the three-year deal won’t feature any options (Twitter links)
11:33am: The Pacers and unrestricted free agent Al Jefferson are nearing an agreement on a contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). The proposed deal would be for three years and $30MM, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
If Indiana does add Jefferson it will be the latest high-profile move the team has made this offseason, previously acquiring point guard Jeff Teague from the Hawks and combo forward Thaddeus Young from the Nets. It would appear that team executive Larry Bird is determined to remake his roster for new head coach Nate McMillan. Jefferson will add some needed toughness in the paint as well as solid veteran leadership to Indiana’s locker room.
Jefferson, 31, made just 47 appearances this season as he struggled with injuries. He averaged 12.0 points, 6.4 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 23.3 minutes of action per outing. He shot .485/.000/.649 from the field on the year.
Week In Review 7/3/16-7/9/16
With 2016 free agency in full swing, here’s a look back at all the notable news and events from around the NBA this past week:
Trades
- The Jazz sent G Trey Burke to the Wizards in exchange for a 2021 second-round pick.
- The Warriors sent C Andrew Bogut and a 2019 second-round pick to the Mavericks in exchange for a future conditional second-round pick.
- The Spurs sent F Boris Diaw to the Jazz in exchange for the rights to G Olivier Hanlan.
- The Magic sent G Shabazz Napier to the Trail Blazers in exchange for cash considerations.
- The Lakers acquired Jose Calderon from the Bulls.
- The Bulls sent Mike Dunleavy to the Cavs.
- The Mavericks and Pacers reached an agreement on a trade that sent Jeremy Evans and cash to Indiana.
Signings/Agreements
- Arron Afflalo, G (Kings): Two years, $25MM
- Cole Aldrich, C (Timberwolves): Three years, $22MM
- Ryan Anderson, F (Rockets): Four years, $80MM
- Leandro Barbosa, G/F (Suns): Two years, $8MM
- Harrison Barnes, F (Mavericks): Four years, max salary
- Matt Barnes, F (Kings): Two years, $12MM
- Bismack Biyombo, C (Magic): Four years, $72MM
- Tarik Black, F/C (Lakers): Two years, $12.85MM
- Trevor Booker, F (Nets): Two years, $18MM
- Nicolás Brussino, G/F (Mavs): Three years, minimum salary
- Ian Clark, G (Warriors): One-year, salary unknown
- Allen Crabbe, G (Nets): Four years, $75MM (offer sheet)
- Jamal Crawford, G (Clippers): Three years, $42MM
- Seth Curry, G (Mavericks): Two years, $6MM
- Dewayne Dedmon, C (Spurs): Two years, $6MM
- Malcolm Delaney, G (Hawks): Two years
- Luol Deng, F (Lakers): Four years, $72MM
- Kevin Durant, F (Warriors): Two years, max salary
- James Ennis, F (Grizzlies): Two years, $6MM
- Festus Ezeli, F/C (Trail Blazers): Two years, $16MM
- Dorian Finney-Smith, F (Mavericks): Three years, salary unknown
- Langston Galloway, G (Pelicans): Two years, $10MM
- Pau Gasol, F/C (Spurs): Two years, $30MM
- Eric Gordon, G (Rockets): Four years, $53MM
- A.J. Hammons, C (Mavericks): Three years, rookie scale
- Gerald Henderson, G (Sixers): Two years, $18MM
- Willy Hernangomez, C (Knicks): At least three years, salary unknown
- Roy Hibbert, C (Hornets): One year, $5MM
- Al Horford, C (Celtics): Four years, max salary
- Marcelo Huertas, PG (Lakers): Two years, salary unknown
- Richard Jefferson, SF (Cavaliers): Two years, $5MM
- Brandon Jennings, G (Knicks): One year, $5MM
- Joe Johnson, G/F (Jazz): Two years, $22MM
- Tyler Johnson, G (Nets): Four years, $50MM (offer sheet)
- Wesley Johnson, G/F (Clippers): Three years, $18MM
- Mindaugas Kuzminskas, F (Knicks): Two years, $6MM
- Jake Layman, C (Trail Blazers): Two years, approximately $2.7MM
- Courtney Lee, G (Knicks): Four years, $48MM
- Jon Leuer, F (Pistons): Four years, $42MM
- Shawn Long, F (Sixers): Two years, minimum salary
- Ian Mahinmi, C (Wizards): Four years, $64MM
- Boban Marjanovic, C (Pistons): Three years, $21MM (offer sheet)
- Luc Mbah a Moute, F (Clippers): Two years, $4.51MM
- James McAdoo, F (Warriors): One year, minimum salary
- Patrick McCaw, SG (Warriors): Two years, minimum salary
- Rodney McGruder, SG (Heat): Three years, minimum salary
- Nene, PF/C (Rockets): One year, $2.9MM
- Andrew Nicholson, F (Wizards): Four years, $26MM
- Dirk Nowitzki, F (Mavericks): Two years, $40MM
- Daniel Ochefu, F (Wizards): Three years, minimum salary
- Zaza Pachulia, C (Warriors): One year, $2.9MM
- Dwight Powell, F (Mavericks): Four years, $37MM
- Austin Rivers, G (Clippers): Three years, $35.7MM
- Brian Roberts, PG (Hornets): One year, minimum salary
- Sergio Rodriguez, G (Sixers): One year, $8MM
- Rajon Rondo, G (Bulls): Two years, $28MM
- Brandon Rush, G/F (Timberwolves): One year, $3.5MM
- Tomas Satoransky, G (Wizards): Three years, $9MM (draft-and-stash)
- Ramon Sessions, G (Hornets): Two years, $12.3MM
- Jason Smith, F/C (Wizards): Three years, $16MM
- Marreese Speights. F/C (Clippers): One year, salary unknown
- Garrett Temple, G (Kings): Three years, $24MM
- Lance Thomas, F (Knicks): Four years, $27.3MM
- Marcus Thornton, G, (Wizards): One year, $1.3MM
- Anthony Tolliver, F (Kings): Two years, $16MM
- Dwyane Wade, SG (Bulls): Two years, $47MM
- James Webb III, F (Sixers): Two years, minimum salary
- David West, F (Warriors): One year, minimum salary
- Isaiah Whitehead, G (Nets): Multiyear deal, salary unknown
- Deron Williams, G (Mavericks): One year, $10MM
- Derrick Williams, F (Heat): One year, $5MM
- Marvin Williams, F (Hornets): Four years, $54.5MM
Waivers
- The Kings waived Caron Butler and Duje Dukan.
- The Rockets waived point guard Andrew Goudelock.
- The Bulls waived Spencer Dinwiddie.
- The Pistons waived Joel Anthony and Cameron Bairstow.
- The Trail Blazers waived Cliff Alexander.
- The Mavericks waived JaVale McGee.
Miscellaneous News
- The Kings rescinded their qualifying offer for Seth Curry, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- The Warriors agreed to hire Mike Brown as their lead assistant coach.
- The Knicks rescinded their qualifying offer to Langston Galloway, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- The Magic rescinded their qualifying offer to Dewayne Dedmon, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- The Nets rescinded their qualifying offer for Markel Brown.
- The Wizards declined their option on veteran power forward Drew Gooden, making him an unrestricted free agent.
- The 26th overall pick in the 2016 NBA draft, Furkan Korkmaz, is set to remain in Turkey for another year.
- Thunder big man Mitch McGary was suspended for five games by the NBA for a failed drug test.