Nets Sign Jeremy Lin
JULY 7th, 4:04pm: The deal is official, Brooklyn announced in a press release.
9:18am: The third year is a player option, Wojnarowski tweets.
JULY 1st, 9:08am: The Nets are closing in on a multiyear deal with unrestricted free agent Jeremy Lin, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). The pact will be for three-years and $36MM, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Lin confirmed he is heading to the Nets via his personal Twitter account.
Lin will reunite with coach Kenny Atkinson, who was an assistant with the Knicks when “Linsanity” broke out during the 2011/12 season. The point guard has failed to recapture the magic of that time since departing New York, but has remained a productive player the past few seasons. It remains to be seen if pairing up with Atkinson will boost Lin’s numbers, but regardless, they land a solid contributor at a position of need.
The 27-year-old appeared in 78 games for the Hornets last season, including 13 starts. He notched averages of 11.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 3.0 assists in 26.3 minutes per outing. Lin’s slash line on the campaign was .412/.336/.815.
Rockets To Waive Andrew Goudelock
The Rockets are parting ways with point guard Andrew Goudelock, international journalist David Pick reports (via Twitter). Houston won’t be on the hook for any salary as a result of the move and Goudelock will become an unrestricted free agent, provided he clears waivers. Combo forward Michael Beasley was also reportedly on the bubble with the team, but waiving Goudelock likely means that Houston intends to keep him.
Houston is cutting ties with Goudelock well in advance of August 1st, which is when his salary of $1,015,696 for 2016/17 would become fully guaranteed. The team normally doesn’t make decisions this far in advance of deadlines, but the organization wanted to give the guard as much time to find a new team as possible, Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle relays (Twitter links).
Goudelock appeared in just eight games after signing with the Rockets in March when he completed his season in China. He averaged 2.8 points and 0.5 assists in 6.3 minutes per outing, shooting .450/.111/.750 from the field.
Blazers Ink Second-Round Pick Jake Layman
11:59am: Layman’s three-year deal with the Blazers will be worth $600K in 2016/17, with subsequent salaries of $905K and $1.1MM, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders. Per Pincus, the final year will be non-guaranteed.
JULY 7, 12:30am: The deal is official, the team announced.
JULY 6, 9:48pm: The Trail Blazers have come to terms with 2016 second-rounder Jake Layman on a contract, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth approximately $2.7MM and the first two seasons are fully guaranteed, Joe Freeman of The Oregonian relays.
Portland acquired the forward’s rights in a draft night trade with the Magic, shipping them $1.MM in cash and a 2019 second-round pick in exchange for the No. 47 overall selection.
Layman, 22, appeared in 36 games for Maryland in 2016/16, averaging 11.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 31.4 minutes per night. His shooting line was .500/.396/.832.
Pacers Acquire Thaddeus Young From Nets
JULY 7: The swap sending Young to the Pacers in exchange for the rights to No. 20 overall pick Caris LeVert and a future second-round pick is now official, according to a Nets press release.
JUNE 23: The Pacers have agreed to acquire Thaddeus Young from the Nets in exchange for the No. 20 overall pick in tonight’s NBA draft and a future protected second-rounder, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). The scribe had reported earlier that several Western Conference teams had been aggressively pursuing Young, who Brooklyn was looking to deal to the highest bidder in an effort to land a first round pick, which it nabbed from Indiana in the swap.
This is the second big move by Indiana in the past two days, with the team landing point guard Jeff Teague from Atlanta in a three-team trade on Wednesday. It certainly appears that team executive Larry Bird is serious about retooling his squad for new coach Nate McMillan.
For Brooklyn, flipping Young for a first-rounder clearly signals that the franchise is shifting into full-rebuild mode. Given the Nets’ lack of talent, it is a bit puzzling why they would give up on Young, who is under contract for three more seasons at a fairly reasonable rate. Young, 28, is slated to earn $12,078,652 next season, $12,921,348 in 2017/18 and $13,764,045 the final year.
In 73 appearances for Brooklyn this past season, Young averaged 15.1 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 33.0 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .514/.233/.644.
And-Ones: Calderon, Davis, Sullinger
Knicks big man Kyle O’Quinn says the team’s offseason moves should translate into a playoff berth in 2016/17, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I’m excited about every year, but this year it looks so clear,’’ O’Quinn told Berman. “A lot of people will put us in there. It’ll be a different element in training camp instead of being a startup trying to shock the world. We made a lot of changes and it looks like the playoffs, but you got to put the work in.”
Here’s the latest from around the NBA:
- The Bulls and Sixers had discussions about Philly acquiring Jose Calderon, but the two sides were unable to reach a deal and the point guard was traded to the Lakers instead, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets.
- Several teams are looking to clear cap room to make a run at Bucks restricted free agent Miles Plumlee, Aldridge tweets.
- Unrestricted free agent Glen Davis, who sat out last season after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments, a cyst, and bone spurs in his left ankle, has resumed basketball activities and is looking to catch on with an NBA club, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets.
- The Celtics face a tough decision regarding restricted free agent Jared Sullinger, with the team in need of his rebounding, but not in the position to match a large offer sheet by another team, were the big man to sign one this offseason, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com.
- The Hawks are still actively trying to improve the team and are looking to add another frontcourt player and a point guard, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution notes. One big man option for Atlanta could be Kris Humphries, who expressed a desire to return during his exit interview with the team, Vivlamore adds.
- Clippers guard C.J. Wilcox will have surgery to repair a broken right hand on Friday, the team announced. Wilcox was given a timeline of four-to-six weeks before he will be able to return to basketball-related activities, according to the team.
- The Lakers are pleased with what they have seen in summer league play from 2016 lottery pick Brandon Ingram, Joey Ramirez of NBA.com writes. “I’m very excited about what he can do,” coach Luke Walton said. “Obviously he’s young and there’ s a lot of work to do. This is a grown man’s league. But as far as knowing how to play the game and the skill set of being able to handle the ball, bring it up, post up, his defense — he’s been all over the place defensively, getting deflections for us — I’m very excited about the way he’s played so far.”
2016 NBA Free Agency: July 6 Recap
The sixth day of the NBA’s 2016 free agent period saw longtime Heat star Dwyane Wade agree to leave Miami in order to join the Bulls. The moratorium has officially ended and the agreements that have been reported the past six days can now start to be finalized.
In case you weren’t able to follow along with our updates throughout the sixth day of free agency, a recap of the day’s highlights can be found below. Going forward though, be sure to keep tabs on our free agent tracker for all the latest updates on contract agreements for free agents.
Contract agreements:
- Patrick McCaw, SG (Warriors): Two years, minimum salary.
- Nene, PF/C (Rockets): One year, $2.9MM.
- Brandon Rush, G/F (Timberwolves): One year, $3.5MM.
- Brian Roberts, PG (Hornets): One year, minimum salary.
- Langston Galloway, G (Pelicans): Two years, $10MM.
- A.J. Hammons, C (Mavericks): Three years.
- Dwyane Wade, SG (Bulls): Two years, $47MM.
- Richard Jefferson, SF (Cavaliers): Two years, $5MM.
- Jake Layman, C (Trail Blazers): Two years, approximately $2.7MM.
- Leandro Barbosa, G/F (Suns): Two years, $8MM.
Trade agreements:
- The Mavericks and Pacers reached an agreement on a trade that will send Jeremy Evans and cash to Indiana.
- The Bulls are sending Mike Dunleavy to the Cavs.
- The Lakers acquired Jose Calderon from the Bulls.
Other notable news/rumors:
- Ray Allen is reportedly considering making a comeback.
- The Nets rescinded their qualifying offer for Markel Brown.
Previously:
And-Ones: Durant, Mack, Evans, Robinson
A contributing factor that led to Kevin Durant leaving OKC to join the Warriors was his frustration with the Thunder‘s offense and guard Russell Westbrook‘s tendency to dominate the ball, a source close to the “Slim Reaper” told Howard Beck of Bleacher Report. “Ultimately, he got frustrated and felt that they had plateaued,” the source told Beck. “[Coach Billy Donovan] came in, and he still had the same issues that he had with Russ under Scotty [former coach Scott Brooks]. The offense didn’t change much. He still had to take a ton of contested shots every game; and that’s when he had the ball at all. He’s never going to have a game in Golden State where Steve Kerr has to say at halftime, ‘You guys need to get Kevin the ball,’ which happened in OKC.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- The chances are increasing dramatically that the Mavericks will look to trade forward Jeremy Evans, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. Evans, 28, has one year and $1,227,286 remaining on his current contract. Dallas is also exploring options to get JaVale McGee and his $1,403,611 salary off the books for next season, Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com tweets. If the center remains on the roster past July 12th his deal becomes fully guaranteed.
- The Jazz will keep point guard Shelvin Mack on the roster past Thursday, which means his contract worth $2,433,334 will become fully guaranteed, Tony Jones of The Salt Lake Tribune reports.
- Unrestricted free agent guard Nate Robinson hasn’t garnered much interest around the league and a number of teams have been turned off by his stated interest in joining the NFL, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated relays (on Twitter).
- The Warriors are seeking veterans willing to sign team friendly deals to fill out the roster and may be interested in point guard Mario Chalmers and center Kendrick Perkins, Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle writes.
Unsigned Draft Picks: Pacific Division
With the 2016 NBA draft now in the books, the term draft-and-stash will be mentioned quite often in regard to international players and late second-rounders. While some of these athletes will eventually sign with an NBA team, it seems like the majority of them stay overseas and never make it to the league. Those players in the latter category aren’t without value as they become trade assets for the teams holding their rights.
While many players fail to work out the way teams expect them to, they can at least become tradeable assets for teams that don’t want to part with a future second-round pick in a deal. Each team must give up something in a trade, which is why many swaps include top-55 protected second-round picks. Older draft rights held players who clearly will never come over to the NBA are essentially the same as flipping those heavily protected second-rounders, for all intents and purposes.
Listed below are the current unsigned draftees for the teams of the Pacific Division. These listings don’t include players selected in this year’s draft:
Golden State Warriors
- Mladen Sekularac — Selected No. 55 overall in 2002.
Los Angeles Clippers
- Maarty Leunen — Selected No. 54 overall in 2008.
Los Angeles Lakers
- Chinemelu Elonu — Selected No. 59 overall in 2009.
- Ater Majok — Selected No. 58 overall in 2011.
Phoenix Suns
- Alec Brown — Selected No. 50 overall in 2014.
- Dwayne Collins — Selected No. 60 overall in 2010.
- Ron Ellis — Selected No. 49 overall in 1992.
- Milos Vujanic — Selected No. 36 overall in 2002.
Sacramento Kings
- Dejan Bodrioga — Selected No. 51 overall in 1995.
- Bogdan Bogdanovic — Selected No. 27 overall in 2014.
- Arturas Gudaitis — Selected No. 47 overall in 2015.
- Luka Mitrovic — Selected No. 60 overall in 2015.
- Alex Oriakhi — Selected No. 57 overall in 2013.
Coaching Notes: Wizards, Nets, Grizzlies
The Wizards announced today that the team has named Tony Brown, Sidney Lowe, Chad Iske, Mike Terpstra and Maz Trakh as assistants on head coach Scott Brooks’ staff. Eric Sebastian, director of coaching operations, and Kamran Sufi, advance scout, were also named by the team while David Adkins will stay on as the team’s director of player development, according to the press release.
“The staff we have put together here in Washington is an impressive group of basketball minds with extensive coaching experience and knowledge of the game,” said Brooks. “I look forward to working alongside this versatile group every day in our quest to bring the best out of our players.”
Here’s more of the latest from the NBA’s coaching ranks:
- The Grizzlies announced via press release that the organization has hired Keith Smart and Adam Mazarei as assistant coaches on head coach David Fizdale’s staff. Smart spent the last two seasons working with Fizdale as an assistant coach for the Heat, while Mazarei was a player development assistant for Memphis the past three years.
- The Nets officially announced their coaching staff for the 2016/17 season. Joining new head coach Kenny Atkinson’s staff as assistant coaches are Jacque Vaughn, Chris Fleming and Bret Brielmaier, Adam Harrington as assistant coach and director of player development, Jordan Ott as assistant coach and manager of advance scouting and Mike Batiste as player development assistant.
- The Timberwolves are bringing in Brian Pauga to serve as player personnel director, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. Pauga previously worked with GM Scott Layden when both were members of the Spurs organization, Wojnarowski adds.
Eastern Notes: Horford, Kuzminskas, Crabbe
Al Horford didn’t take his decision to leave the Hawks to join the Celtics lightly, former teammate Kyle Korver tells Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution. “It was really hard for him to leave,” Korver said. “It was. He had a lot of life set up in Atlanta. He’d been there a long time. His family was all there. He’s got tons of great relationships in the community and in the organization. It was a tough decision for him. I don’t know if I ever thought he was leaving or not. I just knew he was looking at all his options. I encouraged him to look at all his options. I was like ‘Dude, this is your first time being a free agent. Obviously you know that I want you back and we all want you back. But look and see what’s there.’ I think that is the right thing to do. You want to feel good about coming back if that is your decision. Obviously we really wanted him to come back. He made his decision.”
“I think we are all a little surprised,” Korver said of Horford’s deal with Boston. “I think we were all hoping that it was going to work out, that he would come back. Al has been a cornerstone of the franchise for a lot of years. He’s been an amazing player and an amazing teammate and a great leader. We are going to miss him. But it’s a business. It’s his decision. We wish him the best. Grateful for all the memories and games and accomplishments that we had with him.”
Here’s more from the East:
- Lithuanian forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas, who agreed to a two-year deal with the Knicks earlier today, has been compared by some European scouts to a number of notable NBA big men, Marc Berman of The New York Post writes. One overseas scout told the scribe that Kuzminskas has “Danilo Gallinari skills’’ and is a good defender, while another said his game resembles a young Dirk Nowitzki’s in style, if not in quality.
- The Knicks’ primary competition for Kuzminskas’ services were the Hawks and Lakers, Berman tweets.
- There are conflicting reports on whether or not the Nets and restricted free agent Allen Crabbe agreed to an offer sheet, with the two sides set to meet again today. But regardless if an offer has been made yet, Portland missing out on adding Pau Gasol may increase the likelihood that the Blazers match any offer Brooklyn were to submit, Tom Lorenzo of NetsDaily writes.