Cavs Sign Carrick Felix To Four-Year Deal
The Cavs have signed second-round pick Carrick Felix to a four-year contract, and the first three seasons are fully guaranteed, HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus tweets. RealGM.com first reported the signing on their transactions log.
The deal is for $510K in year one, according to Pincus, and that's slightly more than the $490,180 minimum salary for a rookie. The other three seasons are for the minimum. Previous signings and agreements the Cavs have made this summer appear to have put them over the cap, but perhaps the reported figures are off. Cleveland has its room exception available, but teams can't use it to sign players to contracts of more than two years in length.
Felix, who was the 33rd overall pick in June, and Ricky Ledo of the Mavs are the only two second-round picks to receive four-year contracts this summer. The Arizona State shooting guard is the second of Cleveland's three selections this season to sign. No. 19 pick Sergey Karasev inked his deal last month, but top pick Anthony Bennett remains unsigned.
Odds & Ends: Oden, Thunder, Clippers
The Heat, Spurs and Mavs are the most likely to land Greg Oden when he makes his decision Friday, sources tell Jeff Goodman and Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Goodman and Stein are hearing conflicting information on whether the Pelicans, Kings and Hawks remain in the running, but it appears New Orleans has the best chance out of those three. The Cavs, Celtics and Grizzlies have also expressed interest, but they declined to make formal offers, the report also says. Here's more on Oden and others around the Association:
- Whichever team signs Oden once he makes his decision tomorrow won't be committing more than a few million dollars, leading HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy to argue that he's worth the risk. Taking such risks is what shrewd GM's do, SB Nation's Tom Ziller opines.
- The league is reimbursing the Thunder $8MM, or roughly half of the difference between the money the team is shelling out for Kevin Durant and the smaller amount the Thunder agreed to pay when he signed his extension, Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets.
- The ESPN.com staff is high on the Clippers, as Chad Ford gives them the only A+ among his Western Conference offseason grades (Insiders only), while the 5-on-5 crew lauds the team's acquisitions of coach Doc Rivers and sharpshooter Jared Dudley.
- HoopsWorld's Nate Duncan profiles six players whom teams may have undervalued this summer.
Odds & Ends: Pacers, Billups, Mavs, Reinsdorf
The Mavs have had a busy offseason, since there was so much turnaround after loading up on expiring contracts last season with a chance to nab Dwight Howard or Josh Smith in free agency this summer. Since they failed to land any of the upper-tier free agents, they decided to surround 35-year-old Dirk Nowitzki with mid-tier acquisitions in an attempt to get Dirk a second title, but without spending their way out of contending for the free agents next summer when Dirk, Shawn Marion and others have their contract's expire.
Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram listed all the Mavericks from last season who will be playing on different rosters next season (Twitter): O.J. Mayo is on the Bucks, Elton Brand and Jared Cunningham joined the Hawks, Darren Collison signed with the Clippers, Chris Kaman joined the Lakers after they failed to re-sign Howard, and Anthony Morrow joined an improved Pelicans team. Two former Mavs are still unsigned, though, as Price tweets: Rodrigue Beaubois and Mike James.
Here are a few more tidbits as the NBA comes up on the end of the free agency period…
- Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press tweets that the Pistons have talked with recent free agent signee Chauncey Billups about joining the front office in Detroit after he retires
- The Pacers are “going for it” with their recent trade for Luis Scola, writes Bob Kravitz of the Indianapolis Star.
- Kyrie Irving has been impressing once again at Team USA tryouts in Las Vegas this past week. Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer talked with the 2012 Rookie of the Year about what he's trying to improve as he comes up on his third season in the league with a much-improved Cavs team.
- Melissa Harris and Jared S. Hopkins of the Chicago Tribune profile Bulls COO, Michael Reinsdorf, the son of Bulls owner, Jerry Reinsdorf. The younger Reinsdorf is seen as his father's successor with the team.
- The bizarre Tennesse "Jock Tax" that Grantland's Zach Lowe wrote about a couple weeks ago, is something NBA millionaires can afford, writes Geoff Calkins of the Commercial Appeal.
- Pablo Prigioni is "really excited" to come back to the Knicks next year reports Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Eastern Notes: Pacers, Knicks, Scola
The Pacers' acqusition of Luis Scola from the Suns today involved them sending out Miles Plumlee, Gerald Green and a lottery-protected 2014 first-round pick. That first-round pick is lottery-protected through 2019, and would become unprotected in 2020, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. Of course, the Pacers seem like shoo-ins for the playoffs, so the Suns will likely get the pick in 2014.
The Suns and Pacers had been discussing the Luis Scola trade for weeks, but when Indiana threw Miles Plumlee into the deal, the two sides quickly reached an agreement, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
Pacers GM Kevin Pritchard said the team doesn't plan another major move anytime soon, but said "we are always open for business" when addressing reporters today, including Michael Pointer of the Indianapolis Star:
"(Team president) Larry (Bird) has long admired Scola’s ability to rebound and score the ball," Pritchard also said. "We watched him last year with Phoenix. We always felt he would be a perfect person for us in terms of backing up (David) West and backing up (Roy) Hibbert, being part of our second unit and being a scorer on that unit."
Larry Bird, especially, has coveted Luis Scola for years, notes Mark Montieth of Pacers.com, and the opportunity to add his skills as a sub for front-court starters Roy Hibbert and David West, proved too juicy to pass up, despite losing a likely late first-round pick next year.
Here's what else is happening around an increasingly top-heavy Eastern Conference, including more from the Pacers…
- NBC 6 anchor Adam Kuperstein and Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel discussed the upgrades the Pacers have made to their bench this offseason (Twitter link): Chris Copeland and Scola in place of Tyler Hansbrough and Sam Young, while C.J. Watson replaced D.J. Augustin as the backup for George Hill at the point.
- Winderman details the familiar opponents the Heat will likely face this coming season in the Eastern Conference playoffs, with the Pacers, Knicks and Bulls leading the charge to unseat the Eastern Conference champions over the last three seasons.
- The Knicks and Gustavo Ayon have not engaged in discussions, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Ayon is still on waivers after the Bucks released him Thursday. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors examined teams who could claim the big man before he hits free agency.
- J.R. Smith has already received $8.974MM of his $17,947,125 deal with the Knicks, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. Mark Deeks of ShamSports reported this week that Smith would receive half of this year's salary by November 15th, but it appears the Knicks have already given him all of his salary for 2013/14 and part of his 2014/15 pay.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer answers questions in her mailbag including whether the Cavs' 33rd pick in this year's draft, Carrick Felix, has enough abilities to secure a roster spot.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Potential Destinations For Gustavo Ayon
Before Gustavo Ayon's 2013/14 contract could become fully guaranteed yesterday, the Bucks made a somewhat surprising decision, electing to release him and avoid paying his modest $1.5MM salary. Ayon isn't a star, or even a starter, but he has size (6'10") and has exhibited an ability to be productive and efficient (15.1 PER) in limited playing time in his first two NBA seasons. As ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton tweeted last night, the 25-year-old would make a good, cheap fourth or fifth big man for many teams around the league.
Ayon is currently on waivers, set to become a free agent this weekend if he goes unclaimed. Considering we recently saw promising big man Bernard James clear waivers without any teams placing a claim, it's certainly not a lock that any club claims Ayon — particularly since his $1.5MM salary would be fully guaranteed for a team that grabbed him off waivers.
Still, let's assume that a number of teams are at least mulling the possibility of placing a claim, if not entirely committed to the move quite yet. Ayon isn't on a minimum-salary contract, which means not every NBA team is able to submit a claim. As we note in our glossary entry on the waiver process, only teams with at least $1.5MM in cap space or a traded player exception worth $1.5MM+ are eligible to claim Ayon.
Keeping those criteria in mind, and recalling that if two or more teams place a claim, the club with the worst record last season gets first priority, here are the teams who could claim Ayon, in order of priority:
- Charlotte Bobcats: Renouncing Gerald Henderson would be necessary to place a claim on Ayon, so the Bobcats probably won't be in the mix.
- Cleveland Cavaliers: Like the Bobcats, the Cavs would have to make a corresponding move (waiving C.J. Miles' non-guaranteed contract) to create the necessary room for Ayon, so they're not a likely suitor.
- Philadelphia 76ers: The 76ers still appear to have more than $11MM in cap room, per Mark Deeks of ShamSports.
- Utah Jazz: Within the same piece, Deeks notes that the Jazz should still be about $2.4MM below the cap, even without making additional cap-clearing moves.
- Atlanta Hawks: The Hawks have about $1.8MM in space, according to Deeks, and could create more by waiving their non-guaranteed players. That figure doesn't take into account Pero Antic's new deal with the team though.
- Golden State Warriors: Having created a pair trade exceptions in their three-way deal with the Nuggets and Jazz, the Warriors could use the smaller of the two ($4MM) to claim Ayon.
- Los Angeles Clippers: The Clippers created a TPE worth Eric Bledsoe's salary (about $2.6MM) in the trade that sent him to the Suns.
- Memphis Grizzlies: The Grizzlies have stockpiled a number of TPEs, but the $2.08MM exception created in last January's deal with the Cavs would make the most sense for claiming Ayon.
- Denver Nuggets: In the aforementioned three-way deal with Golden State and Utah, the Nuggets created a trade exception worth nearly $10MM.
- Oklahoma City Thunder: OKC has a pair of TPEs large enough to absorb Ayon — one was created when they moved Eric Maynor, while the more recent one came as a result of signing-and-trading Kevin Martin.
Even though 10 teams can technically place a waiver claim on Ayon, there's no guarantee that any of them actually will. Pelton thinks the Sixers, Jazz, Warriors, and Clippers represent the likeliest candidates for a claim, and I agree with him.
Philadelphia and Utah have room to add salary (in the Sixers' case, they need to add salary to reach the cap floor) and are heading into rebuilding years, which would allow them to take a long look at Ayon. Meanwhile, the Warriors and Clippers could each use one more big man, and Ayon's inexpensive salary wouldn't take Golden State into tax territory.
If Ayon goes unclaimed, I imagine he'd strongly consider returning overseas, since he'd at least have a chance to earn more playing time there. Don't be surprised to see one of the 10 NBA teams above take a shot on him though.
This post originally listed the Magic as a team eligible to claim Ayon, but because Orlando traded him in February, the club can't claim or re-sign him until the one-year anniversary of the deal.
Odds & Ends: Hill, Team USA, Cousins
Opting to stick around for youth basketball camps he sponsored in Texas, Pacers guard George Hill understands that his decision to forego his commitment to Team USA training camp on short notice could hurt his chances at future invitations (IndyStar.com). USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo's reacted to Hill's decision: "We expected him here, and he withdrew…Until I really get the answer, I don't know what else to tell you. I just don't think it's fair to comment one way or the other until I have facts, out of courtesy and respect."
Here are a few more miscellaneous rumblings to pass along from tonight:
- Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter) hears that the Kings will be meeting with DeMarcus Cousins' agent Dan Fegan in the near future to discuss a contract extension.
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets that early next year, Colangelo will announce another pool of 25-28 players for next summer's World Cup competition.
- Though he almost chose the Mavericks at the request of his son, Jermaine O'Neal passed on the chance to return home and ultimately chose to join the Warriors for the opportunity to be a part of something special (Marcus Thompson of the San Jose Mercury News).
- Eric Koreen of the National Post introduces us to Bill Bayno, Jesse Murmuys, and Jama Mahlalela – some of the new faces on the Raptors' assistant coaching staff. In another piece, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun gathers some of head coach Dwane Casey's thoughts on Jonas Valanciunas and DeMar DeRozan and their improvement this summer.
- Zach Harper of CBS Sports is puzzled by Cavaliers center Andrew Bynum's statement to Cleveland media that he's never played for a city that really supported their team, coming from someone who developed and enjoyed plenty of success with the Lakers.
Eastern Notes: Irving, Bulls, 76ers, Wall, Heat
Speaking to reporters in Las Vegas, including Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, Kyrie Irving was dismissive of a recent report suggesting he wants out of Cleveland.
"I’m a Cavalier right now, I’m happy to be a Cavalier," Irving said. "I kind of had a sarcastic approach to [the report] because it was a rumor starter. I don’t think he knows anybody in my camp and I don’t know who the guy is. That type of stuff I don’t pay any attention to. Right now I’m a Cleveland Cavalier and I’m happy to be here."
Here's more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Malcolm Thomas' release doesn't necessarily mean the Bulls are clearing room to sign Marcus Camby, a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Sixers GM Sam Hinkie confirmed to Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com (Twitter link) that the first-round pick the team will receive from the Pelicans is top-five protected over the next six drafts, starting in 2014.
- John Wall confirmed to Shams Charania of RealGM.com that his reps and the Wizards have begun discussions on a contract extension, but Wall says he doesn't plan to get too involved in those talks.
- After passing along a few Joe Dumars quotes on the amnesty provision and his team's offseason yesterday, Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press has a few more items from the Pistons GM on Rasheed Wallace's new gig as a coach, and the trade that sent Chauncey Billups to Denver five years ago.
- The Magic signed Jason Maxiell in part so he can act as a mentor and leader for the team's younger players, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
- Ira Winderman's latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel includes questions on a potential Joel Anthony trade and the possibility of the Heat signing Greg Oden. Winderman adds (via Twitter) that Miami was among the teams in attendance at Oden's workout today.
Cavs Sign Sergey Karasev
The Cavs have signed first-round pick Sergey Karasev, according to Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer (via Twitter). The No. 19 overall selection will be introduced in a press conference tomorrow.
There was speculation that the Russian forward might spend the 2013/14 campaign overseas, but he'll be with Cleveland next season. Prior to the draft, Karasev was talking to teams in his native country and reportedly came away confident that he would go inside of the top 15 picks. Several teams were said to be zeroing in on him and the Cavs even thought about trading up to No. 13 to guarantee that they'd get him.
Eastern Notes: Bynum, Mitchell, Sixers, Heat
Let's check in on a few items from around the Eastern Conference….
- Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com has the specifics on Andrew Bynum's deal with the Cavaliers, tweeting that the overall value is $24,790,000 over two years. However, only $6MM of that total is guaranteed, with no guarantee date. That means that the Cavs could waive Bynum on or before January 7th and only pay him $6MM. Assuming they keep him for the entire 2013/14 season, the Cavs could also release him next summer before July 10th and avoid paying any of his '14/15 salary, as ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst tweets.
- Within his update of the Pistons' salaries, Deeks passes along the details on Tony Mitchell's contract, which is guaranteed for two seasons and non-guaranteed in the third. It'll pay him $500K in his rookie year, and the minimum in each of the next two years.
- In his latest Morning Tip column at NBA.com, TNT's David Aldridge says the Sixers are expected to interview Raptors assistant Nick Nurse for their head coaching opening.
- While much has been made of the cap space the Lakers expect to have next summer, the Heat could also be serious players on the free agent market if LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh opt out, writes Windhorst at ESPN.com. I would assume Miami's first choice would be to bring back all those guys on their current deals or new ones, but clearing their salaries would create a variety of possibilities for the team.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel addresses some free agent possibilities for the Heat for the current offseason in his latest mailbag.
- The Bucks are attempting to rebuild their roster without bottoming out, writes Jonathan Tjarks of RealGM.com.
Cavs Notes: Brown, Erden, Gibson
Cavs coach Mike Brown has had a very strange trip through the NBA which has led him back to the helm in Cleveland after an intermission in L.A. However, Brown seems to have taken it all in stride. “It was weird for a while,” Brown said. “But it was a seamless transition for myself and my family. It almost, to a certain degree after we got over the initial shock of it, it almost felt like we never really left. It was almost like we went on vacation for a little bit.” Here's the latest out of Cleveland..
- In part two of his chat with Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal, Brown talks about his relationship with Cavs GM Chris Grant, and the coach says that he expects the team to make the playoffs this year. Part one ran yesterday.
- Brown says he believes several members of the Cavs summer league team deserve invitations to training camp, as Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer notes. Matthew Dellavedova, Cory Higgins, Jermaine Taylor, and Justin Harper all got dap from the Cavs' head coach.
- The Cavs have renounced the rights to Daniel Gibson and Semih Erden, according to the RealGM transactions log.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.