International Notes: Smith, Knicks, Johnson
Earlier today, we learned that Suns second round pick Alex Oriakhi will be headed overseas to France. Here's more news from around the globe..
- There's speculation that Chris Smith, the younger brother of J.R. Smith, could be preparing to play in Italy, writes Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal. The Knicks have been said to be willing to bring the younger Smith into training camp, but that would be more of a courtesy to the newly re-signed elder Smith anyway as his chances of making the opening night roster would be slim.
- JaJuan Johnson will decide between playing overseas and hooking on with an NBA team in training camp in about three weeks, according to Kyle Neddenriep of the Indianapolis Star. Johnson, who played in summer league with the Pistons, is fearful that some of the better opportunities overseas could dry up if he goes into camp with an NBA team and doesn't make the cut.
- Many teams are going with the "draft and stash" philosophy, but Wendell Maxey of Ridiculous Upside wonders if it'll pay off for clubs. The Sixers could be the latest club to go that route with 54th overall pick Arsalan Kazemi.
Suns Draftee Alex Oriakhi Signs In France
Suns second round pick Alex Oriakhi has signed with France's CSP Limoges, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. Phoenix drafted the center with the 57th overall pick in the 2013 Draft.
Oriakhi began his collegiate career at UConn where he served as the starting center for the Huskies' 2010/11 championship team. Then, after a year in which he saw a diminished role with the addition of Andre Drummond and the Huskies were banned from postseason play for 2013, he transferred to Missouri. The big man averaged 11.2 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 1.6 BPG in his final year on campus.
Beno Udrih Drawing Interest From Five Teams
2:19pm: The Grizzlies are expressing interest in Udrih, according to Ronald Tillery of the Commercial Appeal (on Twitter). The club is also considering fellow free agent guard Mo Williams.
10:15am: About five teams still have interest in free agent point guard Beno Udrih, including the Knicks, agent Marc Cornstein told Marc Berman of the New York Post (Sulia link). Berman speculates that the Knicks are probably longshots because they only have the $1.4MM veteran’s minimum to offer, but Cornstein wouldn’t tip his hand one way or another.
“If he signs with the Knicks the reasons will not be because of the money,’’ Cornstein said. “It would be a disservice to say they’re long shots or favorites. He’s examining the situations.’’
The Knicks have missed out on several point guard targets this summer and it could be difficult to convince Udrih, who made $7MM last season, to take such a substantial pay cut. If they can’t lure Udrih to New York, they could turn to NYC native Sebastian Telfair since there is mutual interest on that front. The Knicks are in search of a third point guard to put behind Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni thanks to Jason Kidd‘s departure.
Udrih has served as a backup over the last two seasons for the Bucks and Magic, averaging 8.2 PPG, 4.6 APG, and a 14.2 PER in 66 total games for the two teams in 2012/13.
Magic Waive Al Harrington
The Magic announced that they have put Al Harrington on waivers. Harrington's contract called for him to earn a $7.149MM next season and $7.6MM in 2014/15, but both seasons were only half-guaranteed.
Orlando will now be on the hook for the amount owed to him, less whatever he signs for elsewhere. The veteran has career averaged of 13.7 PPG and 5.7 RPG across 15 NBA seasons but played just ten games with the Magic last season.
Last week, Harrington acknowledged that he was likely to be traded or bought out by the Magic, but explained that he feels healthier than ever and is ready to contribute for whatever team he plays for in 2013/14.
"Whatever situation I can get to where I can help a team win, that's what I want to do," Harrington said. "I don't want to play 36 minutes or none of that. Play 20, 25 minutes, just help mentor the young guys and stuff like that."
Harrington is a client of Relativity Sports and is represented by Dan Fegan, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Raptors Still Talking With Julyan Stone
After the initial agreed upon contract fell through, Julyan Stone is still in discussions for the Raptors to honor their deal, a league source told Shams Charania of RealGM. Meanwhile, three other NBA teams have emerged as serious suitor for the point guard.
Toronto agreed to a two-year, $1.9MM deal with Stone last month but the deal was called off due to unknown issues with his physical. Since then, GM Masai Ujiri and Stone’s representatives have maintained an open dialogue. The 6-foot-6 guard wants to play for a club that will give him significant minutes, according to Charania.
Since breaking things off with Stone, the Raptors signed guards Dwight Buycks and D.J. Augustin in support of Kyle Lowry, creating some difficulty in reversing course on Stone. In 26 total NBA games, the 24-year-old has averages of 1.7 PPG and 1.5 APG.
Several Teams Interested In Lou Amundson
There are a number of teams anxiously awaiting Greg Oden's free agent decision today and many of those clubs all seem to have a common Plan B. Some of the same teams that are pursuing the former No. 1 overall pick are also showing interest in free agent Louis Amundson, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
The Heat, Kings, and Mavericks, who are all finalists for Oden, have registered some level of interest in the well-traveled 30-year-old (link). The Hawks, Knicks, and Pacers are also looking into Amundson.
The UNLV product averaged 1.9 PPG in 9.5 minutes per contest for three teams last season. In seven career NBA seasons with eight diffeent clubs, Amundson has career averages of 3.7 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 12.8 minutes per contest.
Bucks Likely To Release Slava Kravtsov
Slava Kravtsov is expected to be released by the Bucks because of a surplus of big men, according to Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press. The 25-year-old center was involved in the sign-and-trade that also sent Khris Middleton and Brandon Knight to the Bucks for Brandon Jennings.
The 7-footer, who turns 26 later this month, spent one year with the Pistons and showed promise in limited time. In 25 games last season, he averaged 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in nine minutes per contest.
The Pistons were able to sign Kravtsov outright last July as he went undrafted in 2009. Kravtsov, who is known primarily for his tough defensive play, averaged 10.6 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 22 MPG in his final international season with Ukraine's BC Donetsk.
Knicks Talking With Hamed Haddadi
The Knicks have been talking with free agent big man Hamed Haddadi, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). However, their level of interest isn't quite known. Haddadi has never been great at running the floor and his game is predictably getting slower with time.
We learned yesterday that the club has discussed the big man internally, along with Cole Aldrich, Jerome Jordan, Gani Lawal, Shavlik Randolph, and Henry Sims. The Suns waived the Iranian center earlier this week and are on the hook for just $200K rather than the $1.4MM that they would have had to pay him had he been on the roster for 2013/14.
Haddadi finished last season strong after coming over from the Raptors at the deadline as he averaged 4.1 points and 5.1 rebounds in 13.8 minutes per game for Phoenix.
Rockets Re-Sign Francisco Garcia
8:41pm: Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle writes that the second year of the deal is a team option, instead of a player's option as had been originally reported. Team options on veteran contracts are rare, so perhaps year two is simply non-guaranteed.
AUGUST 1ST, 6:37pm: Houston GM Daryl Morey took to Twitter to announce Garcia's official signing, which had been held up as Garcia traveled overseas.
JULY 6TH: The Rockets have re-signed guard Francisco Garcia to a two-year, $2.6MM deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) first reported that the two sides were nearing agreement. Garcia will have a player's option in the second year of his new deal and will also have bird rights after year one, Wojnarowski tweets.
Houston decided against picking up their costly club option on Garcia but still wanted him back in the fold. Rather than pay the 31-year-old swingman $6.4MM, the club will get him back for a fraction of the price. Garcia had interest from teams looking for a solid wing defender who could also shoot it from three point range comfortably, including the Knicks and Lakers.
As shown in the Hoops Rumors Agency Database, Garcia is represented by Aaron Goodwin.
Andrei Kirilenko On Signing With The Nets
It has been an extremely eventful offseason for the Nets, one that saw them add Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and a whole lot of dollars to their luxury tax bill. They weren't quite done after their blockbuster deal with the Celtics, however, as they added Andrei Kirilenko to the mix, making the roster even more dangerous from an offensive standpoint.
The move raised eyebrows all across basketball because AK47 signed for the mini mid-level exception of $3.18MM after turning down a player option for the Wolves worth $10MM+. I asked Kirilenko in a conference call earlier today if the whispers of a possible under-the-table agreement bothered him.
"I've been in these kinds of situations in my career when rumors happened when I've [changed teams] and you hear different kind of stories in the media," the Russian forward explained. "I can't do anything about what people think. You can't change it, so you can't control it."
During the call, Kirilenko spoke glowingly about the Nets and their potential to contend this season. However, he explained that he didn't walk away from Minnesota with an eye on Brooklyn. In fact, he said no to the one-year player option with the T-Wolves because he was seeking a multiyear pact with the club.
"I opted out not because I wanted to sign with the Nets. At that time, I wanted to be in Minnesota for a long time. But there was a change in Minnesota. I respect Flip Saunders' decision, but he decided not to sign me for a long time. I can’t do anything about that," said Kirilenko, who reportedly left the club in part because of David Kahn's departure.
Kirilenko wasn't specifically looking to play for the NBA's first Russian owner or to reunite with Deron Williams, but said both aspects appealed to him. While his decision to opt out cost him roughly $7MM this season, Kirilenko added that he has no regrets about how things played out. Ultimately, the former All-Star is thrilled to have a "legit chance" at winning a title, even if it leaves him a little lighter in the wallet.