Nets Rumors: Williams, Luxury Tax, Robinson
The Nets and Deron Williams had run out of reasons to try to save their relationship, writes Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News. Brooklyn waived the former All-Star today after years of declining performance blamed on injuries, the pressure of playing in a major market, emotional fragility and numerous other causes. Williams lost confidence in his abilities, Bondy writes, and grew increasingly sullen at the idea of playing out his contract with the Nets. He also had an altercation with Lionel Hollins this past season in which he had to be physically restrained from going after the coach, sources tell Bondy. Even if Williams rediscovers his talents in Dallas, where he is expected to land after clearing waivers, Bondy argues it will reinforce the image that he wasn’t mentally strong enough for New York.
There’s more from Brooklyn:
- Williams will leave Brooklyn as one of the biggest disappointments in Nets’ history, contends Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com. He notes that the Nets tried to accommodate Williams by surrounding him with talent, which led them to trade a lottery pick for Gerald Wallace and to give up multiple assets for Joe Johnson. They also went through four coaches and sent three draft picks to Boston to bring in Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett, but no one was able to fully get through to Williams.
- The Williams move puts the team under the luxury tax, which is where it plans to stay, tweets NetsDaily.com. That should become much easier with the expected rise in the salary cap next season.
- Thomas Robinson, the fifth pick in the 2012 draft, is already on his fifth team and may be looking at his last NBA chance, writes William C. Rhoden of The New York Times. The Nets signed the 24-year-old as a free agent this week for the league minimum, and he hopes to put past failures behind him. “A lot of guys are not prepared for the what-ifs,” Robinson said. “I wasn’t prepared for, ‘What if I got traded?’ ‘What if I got hurt?’ ‘What if I don’t play this year?’ I didn’t handle it the correct way; I admit it.”
Nets Waive Deron Williams In Buyout
SATURDAY, 2:33pm: The Nets have waived Williams, the team announced in a press release.
5:22pm: It appears that Brooklyn will waive Williams using the stretch provision, and he will receive $27.5MM spread out over five years from the team, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com tweets. This means that Williams will count as roughly $5.5MM against the salary cap through the 2019/20 season for the Nets.
4:13pm: The point guard’s buyout is expected to drop the value of his contract to the $25-$30MM range, Stein tweets.
4:05pm: Williams is expected to sign a two-year deal with the Mavericks in the $10MM range after he clears waivers, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
4:01pm: The Nets and Williams have reached an agreement on a buyout arrangement, David Aldridge of TNT reports (on Twitter). The details of the agreement are not yet known.
8:46am: Sources who spoke with Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News this past season believed that he wanted to leave the Nets so much that he would opt out a year from now (Twitter link). The early termination option on Williams’ contract for 2016/17 is worth more than $22.331MM. Meanwhile, the Nets haven’t been pleased with the point guard’s attitude or declining production, notes Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
2:44am: The Nets have opened buyout talks with Deron Williams, and the point guard holds a strong mutual interest in signing with the Mavericks if he becomes a free agent this summer, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. One source who spoke to Stein gave it a 60-70% chance that the Jeff Schwartz client ends up with Dallas.
Williams was the prime target of the Mavs three years ago, when he was a free agent, but the Dallas-area native eschewed a homecoming for a more lucrative contract with the Nets. The Mavs aren’t pursuing a trade for Williams because of the expense of the two years and nearly $43.374MM remaining on that deal, sources told Stein.
Brooklyn had been trying to trade Williams, notes Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (on Twitter), most notably to the Kings, but the Nets didn’t want to give up Mason Plumlee and no deal to came to fruition out of those talks this past season. Plumlee fell out of favor with the Nets later in the season, and Brooklyn traded him last month. The Kings are no longer believed to have interest in Williams now that they’re set to sign Rajon Rondo, Stein writes. As unsuccessful trade efforts persisted, higher-ups in the Nets organization had been giving thought to a buyout, as Mazzeo also writes in his tweet. The Nets don’t want to simply waive Williams and eat the entire contract, and even using the stretch provision to spread the money over five years doesn’t hold appeal, as GM Billy King has said and as Stein notes.
King said Thursday morning that his team would probably make moves designed to bring its payroll, which Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders estimates to have $95MM worth of guaranteed salary, beneath the $84.74MM tax line or to a smaller margin above it. Still, King said this morning that he expects Williams and Joe Johnson will be on the Nets roster when the season begins.
Stein has heard “steady rumblings” in recent weeks that a return to the Jazz is a possibility for Williams, but the 10-year veteran would prefer the Mavs, in part because of the presence of ex-Jazz teammate Wesley Matthews, Stein adds. Williams would fill the need at point guard in Dallas, though he’s not nearly the star that he was when the Mavs chased him three years ago.
Mavericks Rumors: Cuban, Matthews, Williams
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban dismissed DeAndre Jordan‘s apology and celebrated the trade for Zaza Pachulia today on CyberDust, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPN.com. “When is an apology not an apology? When you didn’t write it yourself. Next,” Cuban wrote of the Clippers’ center, who committed to Dallas before changing his mind Thursday. He also said the the Mavericks have been working for some time to acquire Pachulia. “He is a good rebounder,” Cuban stated, “and in the hard to believe category he shoots the 15 foot pick and pop at the same level as … Dirk [Nowitzki]. Look it up!”
There’s more this afternoon from Dallas:
- Wesley Matthews never considered reneging on his deal with Dallas after hearing about Jordan, MacMahon writes. Matthews spent time in Los Angeles with Jordan and Chandler Parsons the weekend before free agency began, and they had several conversations about playing together. Matthews said Cuban gave him the opportunity to back out of his deal after the news about Jordan broke, but that wasn’t an option for the former Blazer. “I came to Dallas with one intention, and that’s to win,” Matthews said. “I’m excited about it. With DeAndre or without DeAndre, I know that this organization is a championship organization.”
- Had Jordan come to the Mavericks, the team would not have had enough cap space to offer Deron Williams a two-year, $10MM deal, MacMahon tweets. Williams is expected to sign with Dallas for that figure after clearing waivers.
- Although the Mavericks were interested in Williams, they didn’t consider a trade with the Nets because he would have consumed too much cap space, according to ESPN.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Bargnani, Shved, Johnson
Knicks GM Steve Mills says that the team didn’t strike out in free agency despite missing out on the top available names on the market, but instead New York focused on building a solid team to surround star forward Carmelo Anthony with, Mitch Abramson of The New York Daily News relays. “We tried to be as clear as we could possibly be that we weren’t chasing the biggest stars,” Mills said. “That’s not how we’re trying to build this team. Obviously, when LaMarcus Aldridge says he wants to meet with you and he’s going to meet with six teams, we agree to go meet with him. DeAndre Jordan was willing to meet with us, so of course we go and meet him. And when you go in, you want guys to say yes. But our goal starting out with this was to spend our money wisely and to get guys in who we thought would bring this team along together and fill holes and as it turned out, we were better suited going with multiple guys as opposed to just going after one.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- Former Knicks forward Andrea Bargnani, in an interview with La Gazetta (h/t to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com), said he has several free agent options and hasn’t ruled out returning to play in Europe for the 2015/16 season.
- Mills said that the Knicks could use their $2.8MM room exception to add some scoring punch to the team, and New York could look to ink guard Alexey Shved, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays (Twitter link). Shved, 26, appeared in 16 contests last season for the Knicks, averaging 14.8 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 26.4 minutes per game. He already rejected a minimum offer from the team, reports Begley (Twitter link).
- In the wake of the Nets‘ reported buyout arrangement with point guard Deron Williams, the team now appears intent on keeping Joe Johnson, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter). Stein’s sources inform him that moving Williams was always the team’s preferred option.
Atlantic Notes: Larkin, Celtics, Blake
Shane Larkin, who recently inked a two-year, $3MM deal with the Nets, believes his career was stalled by the Knicks‘ triangle offense during the 2014/15 season, Stefan Bondy of The New York Daily News writes. “[The triangle] just wasn’t the best fit for me,” Larkin said. “It’s a good system but I’m a pick-and-roll point guard. That’s how I got in the NBA, playing pick-and-roll in college. That’s how I got here and now being back in a system where I can play the pick-and-roll and just getting in the lane, create for others, shoot my floater, and do a bunch of other things.”
Here’s more from the Atlantic Division:
- The Nets still haven’t made a decision regarding whether the team will attempt to negotiate a buyout with point guard Steve Blake or keep him on the roster, Bondy adds. “I know we have a lot of guys at the point guard position. That’ll be resolved hopefully in the next month, eliminate, so hopefully we won’t have as many going to camp,” GM Billy King said.
- The Knicks signed Derrick Williams for less than initially thought, as he’ll get $8.8MM over two years, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Thaddeus Young has a 15% trade kicker in his deal with the Nets, Pincus relays (on Twitter).
- DeMarre Carroll‘s four-year deal with the Raptors comes to $58MM total, notes Pincus (Twitter link).
- The Celtics have officially renounced their rights to Shaquille O’Neal, Stephon Marbury, Michael Olowokandi, Michael Finley, Carlos Arroyo, Nenad Krstic, P.J. Brown, and Scot Pollard, which in turn removes their cap holds, Pincus notes (Twitter links). These moves drop Boston below the salary cap line for the first time in nearly 20 years, Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes. Boston also loses any form of Bird Rights to these players, though that is a mere formality since it is highly unlikely any of them would be suiting up for the team in the future.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Nets Sign Wayne Ellington
FRIDAY, 2:17pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
11:14pm: It’s a two-year, $3MM deal with a player option, reports Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That would appear to exhaust Brooklyn’s taxpayer’s mid-level, Mazzeo notes, leaving the team with only the minimum to hand out to outside free agents.
THURSDAY, 7:59am: The Nets have an agreement in principle with Wayne Ellington, the team announced via press release. Teams usually announce signings rather than agreements, so it’s unclear if a formal contract has yet been signed. Brooklyn has a portion of its taxpayer’s mid-level left over after agreeing to terms with Shane Larkin for part of it, though it’s not yet known if the team is using that or if Ellington is merely getting the minimum salary.
Ellington leaves the Lakers despite making it clear to GM Mitch Kupchak that he preferred to come back. The Lakers reportedly reached out to him on the first day of free agency, as did the Cavaliers, Warriors, Wizards, Spurs and Hawks. The Knicks also apparently had interest.
The Thaddeus Foucher client who turns 28 in October is coming off career highs of 10.0 points and 25.8 minutes per game for the Lakers. That’s in spite of 37.0% three-point shooting that was below his 38.2% career rate.
Atlantic Notes: Celtics, Hackett, Nets
The Celtics‘ primary goal this season will be to make he franchise as attractive as possible to free agents hitting the market during next Summer, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com writes. With the team expected to have approximately $40MM to spend on free agents in 2016, the team has to develop its young core enough to convince big names like Kevin Durant that they can win in Beantown, Blakely adds.
Here’s more out of the Atlantic Division:
- Euro guard Daniel Hackett will work out for the Knicks in Las Vegas, David Pick of Eurobasket relays (Twitter links). Hackett, who is also on the radar of the Mavs and Rockets, was offered a contract by the Greek club Olympiacos, but the 27-year-old wants to explore his NBA opportunities before heading back overseas, Pick adds.
- Nets GM Billy King‘s first two calls when the free agent signing period began were to Shane Larkin and Thomas Robinson, Rod Boone of Newsday tweets. Both players officially signed with Brooklyn today.
- When King was asked if he expected Deron Williams and Joe Johnson to remain on the Nets‘ roster, he responded, “at this point, yes,” Boone tweets. King also indicated that the reports of the team trying to deal Johnson have been exaggerated, Boone adds.
- The Knicks are still in contact with the representatives for Alexey Shved, Cole Aldrich and Louis Amundson, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com tweets.
- The Nets will still look to add another big man to the roster, King indicated, but the team wants to get as close to, if not under, the luxury tax line as it can, Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com relays (via Twitter).
Nets Rescind Qualifying Offer To Mirza Teletovic
The Nets have withdrawn their more than $4.21MM qualifying offer to Mirza Teletovic, the team announced (hat tip to Tim Bontemps of the New York Post). He’s now an unrestricted free agent, as Brooklyn has forfeited its right to match offers for him. The move is somewhat surprising, since GM Billy King said this morning that the sides had been in talks and that he was hopeful that the client of Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman would sign, as Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com passed along (Twitter link).
They can still strike a deal, but the Nets can’t stop him from joining another NBA team. King had said this spring that he would let the market dictate the terms of the forward’s next contract. Teletovic, who’s expressed a desire to return, has received plenty of interest from overseas, but it doesn’t appear as though other NBA teams are biting just yet. Still, Grantland’s Zach Lowe, as he did in April, mentions the Spurs in connection to him (Twitter link), though it’s not clear in either case whether that’s simply an educated guess or if San Antonio indeed has interest.
The Nets are poised to once more exceed the tax threshold, set at $84.74MM for this season, though King said today that the team will probably make moves designed to bring the team under that line or at least lessen the amount by which it is over, notes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). Drawing a hard line on Teletovic, who could have simply accepted his qualifying offer, falls in line with that philosophy.
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Nets Sign Willie Reed
The Nets have signed free agent combo forward Willie Reed, the team announced via press release. Shams Charania of RealGM first reported the deal, which is for one year. It’s partially guaranteed for $500K, according to TNT’s David Aldridge (on Twitter). Neither report indicates a salary, but since Brooklyn’s taxpayer’s mid-level appears to have been used up on deals for Wayne Ellington and Shane Larkin, Reed is almost certainly getting the minimum salary.
Assuming so, Reed’s contract is worth $947,276, the two-year veteran’s minimum, even though he’s yet to appear in an NBA regular season game. That’s because he was on the roster for the Grizzlies during the 2012/13 regular season, and the Kings carried him in the 2013/14 season. The Nets had him during preseason last fall, but they cut him before the start of the regular season.
Reed earned his way back to Brooklyn with a strong showing on the Heat’s summer league team, as he averaged 13.5 points and 7.8 rebounds in 25.8 minutes per game across his first four contests. The 25-year-old, who went undrafted out of St. Louis in 2011, will now play for the Nets summer league team.
Lakers, Suns Talk To Cavs About Brendan Haywood
The Lakers and Suns are among the teams having discussions with the Cavs about trading for Brendan Haywood and his sizable non-guaranteed contract, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, writing for Amico Hoops. The Clippers are another, Amico writes, advancing earlier reports connecting the Cavs to Jamal Crawford. Cleveland had reportedly spoken a few days ago to the Nets about trading Haywood, and Anderson Varejao, to the Nets for Joe Johnson, but that conversation has since tailed off, and sources told Amico that Cleveland hasn’t offered Varejao to anyone in its most recent proposals. Haywood isn’t planning to retire if he’s waived, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
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Haywood’s contract, a vestige of the amnesty clause that’s worth a non-guaranteed $10,522,500 this coming season, has value to teams seeking to clear cap space or avoid luxury tax payments. Cleveland can use it in a trade that brings in as much as $5MM more, or $13,253,125 if that trade leaves the Cavs over the tax threshold. Those figures increase if Haywood is paired with someone else. Haywood’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster through August 1st, so Cleveland has some time, but a limited amount of it. The 35-year-old center saw only 119 total minutes of action this past season, and, according to Amico, many around the league believe he’ll retire if he’s waived in advance of that August deadline, as seems most likely.
The Lakers appear to be using a large chunk of their cap flexibility to trade for Roy Hibbert, though they may send some salary to Indiana. The major stars are off the market, but the acquisition of Haywood, if executed with sufficient time left before August 1st, would give the Lakers another trade chip. The same would be true for the Suns, who reportedly agreed to trade Marcus Morris and two others to the Pistons in an ill-fated effort to clear cap room for LaMarcus Aldridge. Phoenix is also reportedly shopping Markieff Morris.
It’s unclear exactly what the Cavs are looking for in return for Haywood, though Amico speculates that a wing player would fit the bill, which makes sense, given the rumors linking them to Johnson and Crawford. It appeared earlier that they were looking for either a facilitating guard or a scoring point guard, but that was before they struck a deal with Mo Williams.
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