Southeast Notes: Anderson, Millsap, Tavares
Alan Anderson, who the Wizards signed to a one-year, $4MM pact using part of the their mid-level exception, said the Nets, Hornets and Hawks were also interested in him, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post tweets. Anderson also said there was one other team that had shown interest during his free agency, but he forgot which team it was.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- Paul Millsap‘s salary for next season will be just over $18.67MM, which is below the maximum, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The total value of the forward’s three year deal will be slightly under $60.22MM and it contains a player option in the last season.
- Walter Tavares, also known as Edy Tavares, chose Atlanta over several European teams that offered lucrative contracts, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “For me, it’s a dream come true to sign with Hawks,” Tavares said. “It was difficult because I had good offers in Turkey, in Madrid, in Barcelona. It was difficult decision for me but I think I worked every week to be here with the Hawks. The Hawks came to Gran Canaria to talk to me, to speak with me, to motivate me to work. That was part of the decision to come because of the way they support and motivate me.”
- Tavares will make slightly over $3.01MM over three years with his new deal, as Basketball Insiders’ Hawks Salary page shows. The last year of his deal is non-guaranteed.
Hornets Sign Jeremy Lin
THURSDAY, 10:39am: The deal is official, the Hornets announced.
WEDNESDAY, 8:32am: The Hornets and unrestricted free agent Jeremy Lin have reached an agreement on a contract, Lin announced via his Instagram account. Lin’s deal will be for two-years, and in excess of $4MM, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets.
The Mavericks were reportedly discussing sign-and-trade options with the Lakers, and were the presumed favorites to acquire the point guard or sign him outright. It’s unclear what led Lin to the Hornets, be it a more lucrative offer, or Dallas’ attention being focused on the ongoing free agent drama involving center DeAndre Jordan. Wojnarowski had previously relayed that Lin looked at Dallas as a means to reignite his career, especially with a chance to become the starting point guard. But he’ll now be relegated to being a backup to Kemba Walker in Charlotte.
The point guard took to Facebook to explain his decision (h/t to USA Today), writing, “Going into my first true free agency as an NBA player this off-season, the one thing that mattered to me the most was finding a team that would be a good fit for me. I wanted to be on a team where I would be able to play freely and truly play the game I love with joy again. That has always been the most important thing to me. After a LOT of prayer and long discussions with family and friends, I wanted to personally let you guys know I’ll be joining the Charlotte Hornets.
My journey has never looked the way I [or anyone else] thought it would, but God has always worked things out for my good and I am confident that he will continue to do so. I want to thank Coach [Steve] Clifford and the Hornets organization for this opportunity – for taking the time to talk to me, understanding my game, and most importantly, making it clear they believe in me. For those of you who have been patiently waiting for news, from the bottom of my heart, thank you for joining me on this journey. To the Lakers organization and the city of Los Angeles, thank you for your support this past season. I have no idea what is coming next, but I promise I will do everything in my power to contribute to this team and to improve as a player and as a person. Here’s to the next chapter!”
Lin made 74 appearances for the Lakers last season, including 30 starts, averaging 11.2 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 4.6 assists in 25.8 minutes per game, with a slash line of .424/.369/.795. His career numbers through five NBA seasons since going undrafted out of Harvard are 11.7 PPG, 2.6 RPG, and 4.8 APG, with a shooting line of .437/.349/.799.
Latest On Mo Williams
The Grizzlies remain in the mix for free agent point guard Mo Williams, tweets Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, who adds that a source suggested the Spurs as an emergent suitor. Zwerling reported last week that a deal between Memphis and Williams was close, but a source who spoke with Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal around the same time disputed that notion.
Memphis allowed its contract guarantee date with backup point guard Beno Udrih to pass on Sunday, meaning his partial guarantee of $923K is now a full guarantee of more than $2.17MM. That means the team has two point guards locked in, with Mike Conley holding down the starting job. The Grizzlies also have point guard Russ Smith on a non-guaranteed deal that picks up a $150K partial guarantee if he remains on the roster through July 15th.
The Hornets are willing to sign-and-trade Williams, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported this weekend. That would help the Spurs, who are unlikely to have more than the $2.814MM room exception to spend on Williams in a straight-up signing, as well as the Grizzlies, who’ll likely be spending their $5.464MM mid-level to accommodate their deal with Brandan Wright. Williams and the Cavs, who have their $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level to spend, reportedly have mutual interest.
And-Ones: Seraphin, Stuckey, Antic
The Wizards expect Kevin Seraphin will test the free agent market, and they’ll attempt to find a sign-and-trade partner for the big man, reports J. Michael of CSNWashington.com (Twitter link). Such a sign-and-trade would be structured so that Washington could gain a trade exception, Michael adds (on Twitter).
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Hawks have rescinded their qualifying offer to Pero Antic, making him an unrestricted free agent, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets. The move was made to maximize the team’s available cap space, Pincus adds. Antic has already signed a two-year deal with Fenerbahce, a Turkish club.
- Free agent point guard Rodney Stuckey is receiving interest from the Cavaliers, and while talks thus far have been exploratory, the interest is mutual, Chris Haynes of The Northeast Ohio Media Group tweets.
- The Hornets have expressed a willingness to work out a sign-and-trade involving Mo Williams, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports relays (on Twitter).
- The Lakers have expressed interest in Jason Smith, league sources tell Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
- The Grizzlies would be amenable to working out a sign-and-trade deal for center Kosta Koufos, Wojnarowski tweets. The Yahoo! scribe mentions the Clippers as a team who should consider trying to work out a deal with Memphis.
- With the Magic missing out on free agent target Paul Millsap, who re-signed with the Hawks, the team may pass on adding another power forward this summer, Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel writes. “We’ll continue to look at the free agents that are available,” Orlando GM Rob Hennigan said. “We’ll continue to look at trade opportunities. We still have quite a bit of cap space. Our tune has not changed. We’ll continue to look for opportunities. And if we feel like the opportunities make really good sense, then we’ll be as aggressive as anyone to try to complete a deal.”
- When asked specifically about adding a power forward, Hennigan said, “I’m not sure. I think we have enough on the roster as is. It just goes back to those opportunities again. Like I said a few weeks ago, we have to be careful of spending just to spend,” Robbins relays.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Hornets Sign Frank Kaminsky
The Hornets have signed Frank Kaminsky to a rookie scale contract, the team announced (on Twitter). Charlotte selected Kaminsky with the No. 9 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft.
The details of the contact were not released, but unless Charlotte is paying Kaminsky less than the standard 120% of scale he can expect to earn $2,612,520 his rookie season, $3,135,024 in 2016/17, $2,847,600 during the 2017/18 campaign, and finally, $3,627,842 in the final year.
The sweet-shooting seven-footer out of Wisconsin appeared in a total of 144 collegiate games, averaging 18.8 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists during his senior campaign. Kaminsky’s career numbers are 10.1 PPG, 4.6 RPG, 1.3 APG, and 1.1 BPG, with a slash line of .522/.369/.763.
Grizzlies Close To Deal With Mo Williams
The Grizzlies are close to a deal with Mo Williams, reports Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). The would-be deal would run three or four years, Zwerling adds. The Cavs and Hornets have seemingly been in pursuit, and Williams reportedly had mutual interest in Cleveland, where LeBron James has been high on the return of his former Cavalier teammate, as Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group reported.
Interest from Memphis would seemingly be a forboding sign for Beno Udrih, whose salary is only guaranteed for for $923K until Sunday, when the guarantee would jump to more than $2.17MM, especially since the team already has Russ Smith around on a cheaper guaranteed contract and tendered a qualifying offer to Nick Calathes. In any case, the Grizzlies will likely be able to spend the $5.464MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception, which would almost certainly give them to power to outbid the Cavs for Williams.
Qualifying Offers: Tuesday
Here are the latest qualifying offer decisions to come in..
- The Spurs extended QOs to Kawhi Leonard and Cory Joseph, making them restricted free agents, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- Knicks forwards Travis Wear and Alexey Shved and Spurs big man Aron Baynes did not receive qualifying offers, according to Pincus (on Twitter).
- Pacers forwards Chris Copeland and Shayne Whittington, Sixers center Henry Sims, Nuggets center Ian Clark, Celtics center Gigi Datome, Wolves big man Arinze Onuaku, Mavs center Bernard James, Lakers guard Vander Blue, and Kings forward Derrick Williams did not receive qualifying offers, Pincus tweets.
- The Grizzlies have made Nick Calathes a restricted free agent by extending him a QO, according to Pincus (on Twitter).
- The Warriors have made Ognjen Kuzmic a restricted free agent, Pincus tweets.
Earlier Updates:
- The Sixers declined to offer guard Glenn Robinson III a qualifying offer, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. However, Philly has shown an inclination to revisit a longer-term deal for Robinson this summer, according to those same sources. In 35 games as a rookie, Robinson averaged 2.1 PPG.
- The Hornets will not make a qualifying offer to guard Jeffery Taylor, according to a source that spoke with Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (on Twitter). Taylor will now become an unrestricted free agent.
- Pero Antic, who was rumored to be going overseas, was given a qualifying offer by the Hawks, according to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter). If the Hawks need to maximize their cap space, Pincus adds (link), they can revoke the qualifying offer to Antic and renounce him.
- As expected, the Magic have extended qualifying offers to both Tobias Harris and Kyle O’Quinn, according to John Denton of OrlandoMagic.com (on Twitter).
- The Rockets made Patrick Beverley and K.J. McDaniels restricted free agents by extending QOs to them, Pincus tweets.
Mutual Interest Between Cavs, Mo Williams
JUNE 30TH, 2:50pm: Williams anticipates that he’ll meet with the Cavs, and Cleveland is “very interested” in signing him, a source tells Haynes (on Twitter).
JUNE 19TH, 2:56pm: Soon-to-be free agent Mo Williams has strong interest in playing with the Cavs again, and he’d also like to re-sign with the Hornets, reports Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. The point guard and Cleveland are expected to talk if Williams, who’s seeking a multiyear deal, is willing to take the limited amount the Cavs have to spend, and LeBron James would welcome the return of his former teammate “with open arms,” Haynes also hears.
The Cavs are almost certain to have no more than the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level to spend this summer. The full amount of that would represent a slight pay cut for the 12-year veteran who made more than $3.965MM on the one-year deal he signed this past summer with the Timberwolves. The contract originally called for him to make $3.5MM, but a trade kicker lifted that amount when Minnesota sent him to the Hornets in a February swap.
Cleveland is seeking a facilitating guard who can either back up or play alongside Kyrie Irving, as Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com reported this morning. Williams, 32, would presumably fit that mold, having played alongside Chris Paul with the Clippers a few years ago in spite of spending most of his career as a point guard and having averaged 5.0 assists per game for his career. He was the starting point guard for the Cavs for two and a half seasons beginning in 2008, sharing the floor with James during the first two years. The Mark Bartelstein client averaged 14.2 points, 6.2 assists and 29.1 minutes per game this past season, split between Minnesota and Charlotte.
The Hornets have non-Bird rights with Williams, so they could give him a 20% raise without dipping into another exception. Charlotte is also likely to have the $5.434MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level at its disposal.
Hornets, Warriors Interested In Marco Belinelli
10:59pm: Charlotte’s first call of free agency will be to Belinelli, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter).
3:47pm: The Hornets are expected to aggressively pursue soon-to-be free agent Marco Belinelli, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, and a source tells Yahoo! colleague Marc J. Spears that the Warriors are interested in signing him, too (Twitter links). The Excel Sports Management client has said that money will likely play a key role in his decision this summer, and that may well make it tough for Golden State, which will almost certainly be limited to the $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception for outside free agents. Charlotte is poised to have the $5.434MM non-taxpayer’s mid-level, Wojnarowski notes.
The Bulls are another possible suitor for Belinelli should they miss on re-signing Mike Dunleavy, as K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune wrote Monday. Still, they’re likely without means beyond the taxpayer’s mid-level, either. The Spurs can pay up to about $6MM next season to bring him back if they retain his Early Bird rights, though it seems a strong possibility they will renounce those rights to clear cap room for LaMarcus Aldridge or another star free agent.
Charlotte has a need for shooting, and the 29-year-old Belinelli, a career 39.2% three-point shooter, has proven he can fill it. Golden State already has nearly $82.6MM on the books for next season, about $1MM more than the projected tax line, and that’s without a new deal for Draymond Green. Even if the Warriors succeed in finding a taker for David Lee, they’ll have trouble avoiding tax penalties.
Biyombo To Become Unrestricted Free Agent
The Hornets won’t make a qualifying offer to Bismack Biyombo, so the former seventh overall pick will become an unrestricted free agent Wednesday, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The value of the offer declined from $5,194,227 to $4,045,894 when he failed to meet the starter criteria this season, but even that apparently wasn’t enough of an enticement for Charlotte to retain its right to match competing bids for him.
Biyombo’s qualifying offer was a borderline case, and with Noah Vonleh off to Portland in the Nicolas Batum trade, there seemed a greater chance the Hornets would do what they could to keep him around. Charlotte and Biyombo can still sign a new deal, and the Hornets retain his Bird rights, so they can exceed the cap to re-sign him if they wish.