Atlantic Notes: Nets, Lin, Smith, Knicks
Earlier this week, the Nets backed out of the Dwight Howard sweepstakes and instead opted to re-sign restricted free agent Brook Lopez. General Manager Billy King told reporters, including Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News, that it was clearly time to walk away from the talks and focus on the pieces that are already in Brooklyn. “At some point, you have to decide that you’ve got a young center who is pretty good,” King said of Lopez. “It was about getting him under contract and getting him focused, and getting our team focused." Here's more out of the Atlantic..
Odds & Ends: Humphries, Pistons, Warriors, Celtics
Rick Bonnell from the Charlotte Observer tweets that the Nets may have offered Kris Humphries either a two-year, $20MM or a three-year, $26MM contract.
As summer league kicks off tonight in Las Vegas, here's some more news from around the league.
Odds & Ends: Lorbek, Magic, Mavs, Nash
Although the Spurs will bring one international prospect stateside this season, having signed Nando De Colo to a contract, another of the team's top international players doesn't appear headed for San Antonio. Spanish club Regal Barcelona announced today that they have re-signed Erazem Lorbek to a three-year deal to remain with the team (English translation via Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). The Spurs, who hold Lorbek's NBA rights, were said earlier this offseason to be "very close" to a deal with the Slovenian forward, so it's a little surprising to see him re-up with Regal Barcelona.
Let's round up a few more Friday morning odds and ends….
Odds & Ends: Spurs, Perkins, Fields
Contract Details: Taylor, Joseph, English
Contracts for first-round picks have minimal variance from team to team, as most first-rounders sign for 120% of the rookie scale amount, with two guaranteed years and two team options. However, deals for second-round picks aren't quite as predictable. While second-rounders generally sign for the rookie minimum, which is $473,604 for 2012/13, certain teams are more willing to give guaranteed years than others. Mark Deeks of Sham Sports has tweeted the details on a few contracts for second-round picks, so we'll round them up below….
Free Agent Rumors: Flynn, Heat, Mahinmi
We're less than 14 hours away from the July moratorium coming to an end and this season's signing period beginning in earnest. As of 11:00pm central time tonight, teams can officially sign free agents, trades can be consummated, and players can sign contract extensions. In the meantime, free agents have one more day to try to reach contract agreements before clubs start finalizing the moves they've agreed to over the last week and a half. We'll track today's rumors on free agents here, with the newest updates up top:
- Jonny Flynn has worked out for the Hawks and will visit the Bulls on Friday, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. Count the Cavs as another team interested in the point guard's services.
- Look for the Heat to add a minimum-scale big man, such as Kwame Brown or Joel Przybilla, as they finish up their offseason spending, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times (Twitter link) hears from NBA officials that the Bucks have some interest in Ian Mahinmi.
Earlier updates:
Nenad Krstic Signs With CSKA Moscow
After spending seven seasons in the NBA with the Nets, Thunder, and Celtics, Nenad Krstic signed with CSKA Moscow last summer, with the lockout looming. A year later, Krstic has decided to re-up in Russia, as CSKA Moscow announced today (via Twitter) that it has signed the Serbian for two more years, with a team option for a third.
Free Agent Rumors: Wallace, Grizzlies, Fisher
We're into the home stretch of the July moratorium, and it won't be long before all the moves that have been agreed upon in the last week are made official. In the meantime, teams have two more days to prepare for the next stage of free agency, and the rumors continue to swirl. You can track all of the contract agreements to date using our Free Agent Tracker, and you can follow many of today's free agent rumors right here, with the latest up top….
- There's a "pretty good chance" that Ben Wallace will return to the Pistons next season, a source tells Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News.
- A source told The Commercial Appeal (via Twitter) that it's unlikely that the Grizzlies will sign Russian guard Alexey Shved. Shved allegedly received offers from the Grizzlies, Cavs, and T'Wolves.
- However, the Grizzlies are working to bring veteran guard Willie Green to Memphis, The Commercial Appeal tweets. The soon-to-be 31-year-old averaged 7.6 PPG last year for the Hawks.
Earlier updates:
Odds & Ends: Miles, Magic, Celtics, Hawks
With free agent news and rumors dominating the headlines over the last week, it's been easy to miss a number of other stories that have flown under the radar. One such story today: The Wizards have hired Don Newman as an assistant coach under Randy Wittman. A longtime NBA assistant coach, Newman has spent the last seven years on the Spurs' bench in San Antonio, and represents a solid hire for Washington.
Here are a few more Monday afternoon odds and ends from around the league….
Raja Bell, Jazz Agree To Contract Buyout
After reporting last night that the Jazz were close to reaching a buyout agreement with Raja Bell, Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune confirms that the two sides have reached a verbal agreement on a contract buyout. Once the deal is made official and Bell becomes an unrestricted free agent, he'll be free to sign with any team in the league, and the veteran says he intends to explore all his options.