Raptors Reach Agreement With Daye
The Raptors have reached agreement on a two-year deal worth $2MM with free agent forward Austin Daye, according to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski.
The 25-year-old has been a disappointment since entering the league as the 15th overall pick four years ago, averaging 5.6PPG on just 41% shooting from the floor. Last season, Daye was included as a throw-in piece in the three-team Rudy Gay trade, sending him from the Pistons to the Grizzlies. He averaged 4.5PPG in 55 total games last season.
John Wall Close To Max Contract Extension
JULY 30TH, 11:44am: Wall's max extension remains on track to be completed by the end of this week, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Stein tweets that the team originally targeted a date of August 1st for a press conference, but it's not clear if that's still the goal.
JULY 25TH, 12:25pm: The Wizards and Wall aren't expected to finalize an agreement until at least next week, says Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
JULY 24TH, 9:47pm: John Wall and the Wizards are closing in on a five-year, $80MM maximum contract extension, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein and Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski. The deal will make Wall Washington's designated franchise player, which allows a fifth year on the deal, as opposed to four.
The deadline on such an extension is October 31st, but the Wizards and Wall appear to be closing in much earlier than that. Wall is 22 years old and is entering his fourth season next year. The former number one overall pick has yet to lead his team to the playoffs, and is coming off an injury shortened campaign last year.
Mavericks Sign Wayne Ellington
JULY 26TH: The Mavericks have finally made the deal with Ellington official, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 9TH: Wayne Ellington has reached an agreement on a two-year, $5MM contract with the Mavericks, according to Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski.
His fourth team in five seasons, Ellington spent half of last year with the Grizzlies before getting traded to the Cavaliers. While in Cleveland, Ellington saw the most playing time of his career, running for 25.9MPG and averaging 10.4PPG.
With news earlier in the night that Mavericks free agent Anthony Morrow had signed a two-year deal with the Pelicans, it's probable that Dallas views Ellington as a replacement from the viewpoint that he can also shoot threes while providing more versatility with the ball.
Odds & Ends: Team USA, Clippers, Ledo
A few random notes from around the NBA.
- ESPN.com's Marc Stein writes about Team USA and its long time head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who was wary of staying on to coach the team through the 2016 Olympics but now appears committed to the task.
- Grantland.com's Zach Lowe has further information on rookie guard Ricky Ledo's contract with the Mavericks. It's a four-year deal, with the last two years non-guaranteed, Lowe tweets.
- According to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com, John Lucas III's contract with the Jazz is a two-year deal, with the second year being completely non-guaranteed. The first year is for $1.6MM.
- Also from Deeks, in a tweet, the Clippers currently have the highest total committed future salary in the NBA. The Mavericks have the lowest.
Western Notes: Camby, O’Neal, Jordan, Pekovic
A few notes from around the Western Conference
- According to a tweet from the Houston Chronicle's Jonathan Feigen, Marcus Camby's agent insists that the Rockets are atop his list of teams to play for next season.
- New Warriors center Jermaine O'Neal says he is ready to help his new team in any role, any way he can, writes the San Francisco Chronicle's Rusty Simmons.
- Clippers center DeAndre Jordan found himself in a major trade rumor earlier this summer, with constant speculation of him being involved in a deal to the Celtics. Today, Jordan says he looks at those rumors as a sign of respect, according to RealGM's Shams Charania.
- Timberwolves president of basketball operations Flip Saunders will fly to New York City early next week to sit down with restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic's agent with hopes to finalize a contract in the area of four years and $50MM, according to the Star Tribune's Kent Youngblood.
LeBron James Set To Leave Team USA
LeBron James has likely already played his last game for Team USA, according to Yahoo! Sports reporter Marc J. Spears. Widely regarded as the world's best player, coming off a historic stretch that's seen four MVP trophies in five seasons and two straight NBA championships, James will not play for Team USA in the 2014 World Championships in Spain, and probably won't compete in the 2016 Olympics either.
As he ages, James will likely focus on rest, his family, and other endeavors that he'll need in order to have as much success as possible in the NBA during its offseason. He's already competed in three Olympic games, winning two gold medals.
USA Basketball director Jerry Colangelo recently said Kevin Durant was "kind of the face of USA Basketball going forward," indicating James would no longer be a part of the program.
Mike Miller To Sign With Grizzlies
Mike Miller has informed the Grizzlies that he will sign with them, according to a tweet from ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
Thunder Re-Sign Derek Fisher
Derek Fisher will be returning to the Thunder next season, according to NewsOk.com's Darnell Mayberry. The contract is a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum of roughly $1.4MM.
Over the past two seasons, Fisher has appeared in 44 games for the Thunder, giving them veteran leadership and filling in in the past for injured guards such as Eric Maynor and Russell Westbrook.
The 39-year-old veteran averaged 8.7 PPG in 11 playoff games last season.
Raptors Sign Tyler Hansbrough
JULY 20TH, 9:16am: The first year of Hansbrough's deal in Toronto is worth $3.2MM while the non-guaranteed 2014/15 season could pay $3.32MM, according to Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld (via Twitter).
JULY 15TH, 2:49pm: The Raptors have officially signed Hansbrough, the team announced today (Twitter link).
JULY 12TH, 9:46am: The second year of Hansbrough's deal will be partially guaranteed, according to Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com (via Twitter).
JULY 10TH, 9:58am: Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweets that Hansbrough will earn about $3MM in his first year with the Raptors, while Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld writes that the forward will earn roughly $3MM per season with Toronto. So it sounds like the deal will be worth in the ballpark of $6MM overall.
JULY 9TH, 7:44pm: Tyler Hansbrough has agreed to terms on a contract with the Raptors, according to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears. Rumblings of a possible deal were first reported by ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
After spending the first four years of his career in Indiana, the Pacers rescinded Hansbrough's qualifying offer this summer so they could afford re-signing David West. Hansbrough is a career 42.7% shooter who averaged a career-worst 7.0 PPG last season.
Hansbrough's deal will be for two years, and will come out of the team's mid-level exception, according to the Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat.
Anthony Morrow Signs With Pelicans
JULY 18TH: The Pelicans officially announced Morrow's signing in a press release.
JULY 9TH: Free agent guard Anthony Morrow is close to agreeing in principle on a contract with the Pelicans, according to a tweet from RealGM's Shams Charania. According to Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears, the deal will be for two years at the league minimum, with a player option on year two.
A career 42.4% shooter from behind the arc, Morrow spent the first half of last season with the Hawks before being traded to the Mavericks. He found himself out of the rotation in both destinations, playing only a combined 383 minutes last year.