Hawks Sign Malcolm Delaney
JULY 15: The Hawks have formally signed Delaney, the club announced today in a press release. Delaney’s salary has been reported as $2.5MM, though it’s unclear if that figure represents the total value of his contract, or his per-year salary.
JULY 3: The Hawks and combo guard Malcolm Delaney have agreed to a guaranteed two-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets.
The former Virginia Tech guard played overseas for the last several years and turned down a two-year, $5MM offer from Barcelona in the hopes of landing with an NBA team this year last month, reports Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops.net. The Nets and Rockets were reportedly interested in Delaney in May, but neither team pulled the trigger on a deal.
Delaney went undrafted in 2011, and the closest he has come to NBA action was a summer league stint with the Pistons in 2012, though he was involved in discussions with the Rockets in 2014, but ended up heading overseas to play in Germany instead. In 58 combined games this past season, Delaney averaged 14.5 points, 3.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists in 30.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line on the season was .409/.361/.871.
Blazers Re-Sign Allen Crabbe
JULY 13, 10:00pm: The signing is official, the Blazers announced. “Allen is an important part of the core of this team and a building block for its future growth,” said GM Neil Olshey.
JULY 10, 4:13pm: The Blazers have matched Allen Crabbe‘s four-year, $75MM offer sheet with the Nets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (on Twitter). Crabbe had signed the offer sheet on July 7th, and this was the final day the Blazers were able to match the deal.
Portland’s decision does not bold well for the Nets, who may also see their offer for Tyler Johnson matched by the Heat That would leave Brooklyn with plenty of salary room, but not many intriguing options. The Blazers, meanwhile, have made it clear that they are all-in for this season, as Wojnarowski tweets. Portland has added Evan Turner and Festus Ezeli while returning Meyers Leonard.
In Crabbe, the Blazers now return one of the team’s best shooters and defenders. The third-year shooting guard had a breakthrough season this year as a Trail Blazers reserve. He appeared in 81 games and averaged 10.3 points and 2.7 rebounds per night while shooting 39% from beyond the arc.
Grizzlies Sign Second-Rounder Deyonta Davis
TUESDAY, 12:12pm: The Grizzles have officially issued a press release announcing their deal with Davis.
SUNDAY, 2:34pm: The Grizzlies and Deyonta Davis, who was the 31st pick in this year’s draft, have agreed to a three-year, $4MM deal, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical. It is the largest guaranteed salary for an American-born second-round pick, Charania notes.
The deals allows Memphis to retain Davis’ Bird rights and eliminate the Arenas provision, leaving him without restrictions on how much he could earn on a second deal while entering free agency one year earlier than if he had been selected in the first round, Charania points out. The Celtics dealt Davis to the Grizzlies.
The 19-year-old Davis averaged 7.5 points and 5,5 rebounds during his lone season with Michigan State. He has NBA size, but scouts said before the draft that he needs to get stronger and become a better finisher in the lane. The Grizzlies have made a few moves this summer, re-signing Mike Conley and adding Chandler Parsons, James Ennis and Troy Daniels.
Hoops Links: Howard, Durant, Magic
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Then you should send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown …
- The Jump Ball details what Dwight Howard has left for the Hawks.
- Hawks Hoop examines why there may be plenty of reason for optimism in Atlanta.
- Sir Charles In Charge went one-on-one with Magic assistant coach Chad Forcier.
- The Hardwood Nation runs down the winners and losers so far this summer.
- Same Page Team defends Kevin Durant‘s decision to join the Warriors.
- Total Sports Live analyzes how Christian Wood has looked in the summer league.
- CelticsBlog writes that Stephen Curry should leave the Warriors after next season.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Blazers, Meyers Leonard Agree To Deal
The Blazers and Meyers Leonard have agreed on a four-year deal worth $41MM, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). Portland had extended Leonard a qualifying offer on June 29th.
Leonard is a solid rotation piece for the Blazers because of his ability to rebound and hit outside shots consistently. Leonard, who is recovering from an injured shoulder, declined an extension from the Blazers in October, but the backup big man had said he was interested in staying in Portland. Meyers’ season was cut short in March when he dislocated his shoulder and he may not be ready at the start of the season.
Leonard appeared in 61 games last season, including 10 as a starter. He averaged 8.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.9 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .448/.377/.761.
Clippers Re-Sign Austin Rivers
JULY 8th, 7:16pm: The signing is official, the team announced.
8:25pm: Rivers’ deal is worth $35.7MM over three years, per Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
JULY 2nd, 7:00pm: Austin Rivers has agreed to re-sign with the Clippers, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (on Twitter). It’s a three-year deal worth $35MM+, according to Dan Woike of the SoCal News Group. There is a player option in the final year of the contract, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com.
The signing would indicate that the Clippers are out on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes unless they move one of their stars, Shelburne surmises (ESPN Now link). The Clippers met with Durant on Friday in the New York area and they are trying to retain their own free agents, including Jamal Crawford and center Cole Aldrich, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical writes.
“It was tough. But after heavy thinking I decided I wanted to come back. I’m happy with my decision,” Rivers said, per Shelburne.
Rivers met with the Clippers Friday and was also expected to meet to talk to the Knicks and possibly the Trail Blazers, too. Rivers, in a move that was anticipated, opted out of his contract prior to July 1st. The combo guard was set to earn $3,344,106 next season, but with the salary cap’s rise, he was a lock to land a more lucrative – and longer – deal in free agency.
The 23-year-old made 67 appearances for Los Angeles this past season, averaging 8.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 21.9 minutes per outing to accompany a shooting line of .438/.335/.681. Rivers, the No. 10 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft, has career averages of 7.4 points, 1.9 rebounds and 2.0 assists through 273 contests.
Team president and coach, Doc Rivers, who is Austin’s father, has said that he wants to re-sign as many of the Clippers’ free agents as possible.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Celtics Sign Al Horford
JULY 8: The Celtics have officially announced the signing of Horford, who says in a statement that he’s “extremely excited” to be heading to Boston.
JULY 2: The Celtics plan to sign Al Horford to a four-year, $113MM deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Horford, on his verified account, changed his avatar to the Celtics’ logo and tweeted, “Celtics Pride,” in an unsubtle way of announcing the agreement.
The signing is a coup for the Celtics, who have not landed a free agent in his prime in quite some time, as Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe relays. The decision is also somewhat surprising, given that the Hawks appeared to have momentum to re-sign the veteran, according to Wojnarowksi, who just minutes prior reported the Celtics figured Horford would stay in Atlanta. Alas, the Hawks and Horford were $6MM apart on a deal, Wojnarowski tweets.
Interestingly, there was also a time when Horford preferred to sign with the Wizards, per Wojnarowski. What’s more, the Thunder pitched to Horford, but he turned them down because there was no assurance that Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook would be there long-term, Wojnarowski tweets. Horford also reportedly had some level of interest from the Lakers, Magic, Pistons, and Nets, but those teams were never serious suitors for the veteran big man.
In Horford, the Celtics now have one of the better big men in the league. The longtime Hawk leaves the franchise he joined as the No. 3 overall pick in the 2007 draft, and the city in which developed into a four-time All-Star. Horford appeared in all 82 regular season games for Atlanta this past season, averaging 15.2 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists in 32.1 minutes per night. His shooting line was .505/.344/.798.
We ranked Horford as this year’s No. 3 free agent, behind only Durant and LeBron James. This is turning out to be a big weekend for Boston, which hosted Durant Saturday and still as the cap flexibility to land the superstar, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical points out on Twitter.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Warriors Hire Mike Brown As Assistant
7:10pm: The Warriors have named Brown an assistant coach, according to a team press release. “We’re fortunate to add someone with the pedigree and track record of Mike Brown to our coaching staff,” said Kerr. “I had the good opportunity to play under him and Coach Popovich in San Antonio at the end of my career. The wealth of knowledge and experience that he brings will be invaluable to our staff and our players. He’s a terrific fit and we’re thrilled to have him.”
July 3rd, 1:21pm: Mike Brown has completed a deal with the Warriors to be the team’s top assistant coach, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports. Brown had been offered the job last week.
The former Cavaliers and Lakers head coach would replace Luke Walton, who was named the Lakers’ head coach, however details of the deal have not yet been reported. Brown has remained close to his NBA mentor, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, and spent a considerable amount of time around their organization last season, which looked good in the eyes of Warriors coach Steve Kerr, Wojnarowski had previously wrote. Brown’s head coaching experience also likely helped. Brown has a 347-216 record as head coach of the Cavaliers and Lakers.
Former Suns coach Ty Corbin was a finalist for the job before becoming one of Earl Watson‘s assistants with the Suns, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reported. The Warriors also met with the Hornets’ Stephen Silas and the Trail Blazers’ Nate Tibbetts, according to Stein.
Hoops Links: Knicks, Celtics, Hawks
Every Sunday, we link to some of the very best work from around the basketball blogosphere. Do you have a link to a great basketball blog post – either your own or someone else’s – that you want to see featured on Hoops Rumors? Then you should send it to us at HoopsLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s rundown …
- New York Sports Guys breaks down the Knicks’ free agency plan.
- Total Sports Live picks the winners and losers in this year’s draft.
- Big Three Sports compares salaries to previous and future seasons.
- Posting And Toasting notes that the Knicks’ medical staff has improved.
- Peachtree Hoops thinks the Hawks still have a lot of work to do with their roster.
- Orlando Pinstriped Post examines whether Nikola Vucevic fits with the Magic.
- CelticsBlog details Al Horford‘s role with the Celtics.
- Welcome to Loud City offers grades for Josh Huestis.
Please send submissions for Hoops Links to Zach at HoopsLinks@gmail.com.
Kings To Sign Garrett Temple
The Kings and shooting guard Garrett Temple have agreed on a three-year deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports. Sam Amick of USA Today Sports tweets that the deal is worth $24MM in total. The third year is a player option, Amick adds.
It became clear after the Wizards acquired Trey Burke that Washington had no plans to re-sign Temple, who is 30. Temple, however, did provide the Wizards with solid production. He averaged a career best 7.3 points per game in a career-high 43 starts. The move could end up being a shrewd one for the Kings. Temple is a solid reserve player with versatility, as James Ham of CSNBayArea.com tweets.
Temple earned the veteran minimum for the last two seasons. He is now obviously cashing in big, comparatively speaking. The Celtics, Nuggets, Kings, Pelicans and Hawks all reached out to Temple, according to J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com.