Denver Nuggets Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Nuggets Re-Sign Timofey Mozgov

July 27th, 2013 at 2:02pm CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 2:02pm: The deal is official, according to the Nuggets website.

FRIDAY, 10:26am: The Nuggets and Timofey Mozgov have reached an agreement on a contract that will pay the restricted free agent $14MM over three years, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, the third year will be a team option, which likely means that salary is non-guaranteed.

Mozgov, 27, was sent to Denver by the Knicks in the blockbuster deal that landed Carmelo Anthony to New York. He has yet to log significant minutes in any of his three NBA seasons, and was behind Kosta Koufos and JaVale McGee at center for the Nuggets in 2012/13. However, with Koufos having been traded to Memphis, the door is open for Mozgov to earn more playing time going forward.

The Nuggets had long been expected to re-sign Mozgov, having begun negotiations with him on a multiyear deal shortly after the free agent period got underway. According to Wojnarowski, a few sign-and-trade scenarios were discussed, but both sides were ultimately committed to working out a new agreement that kept Mozgov in Denver. The seven-footer also reportedly drew interest from the Kings and Spurs.

When I examined Mozgov's free agent stock earlier in the year, I predicted that the Russian big man might be in line for a contract similar to Robin Lopez's three-year, $15MM+ deal. Mozgov is represented by ASM Sports, as our agency database shows.

Nuggets Sign Nate Robinson

July 26th, 2013 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 3:28pm: The Nuggets have officially signed Robinson, the team announced today in a press release.

MONDAY, 2:47pm: The second year of Robinson's deal will be a player option, according to Amick. That will give the veteran point guard the chance to opt out in search of a larger or longer-term contract next summer.

2:26pm: The Nuggets and Nate Robinson have reached a contract agreement, reports Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post. According to Hochman, Robinson will ink a two-year deal with the Nuggets. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports and Sam Amick of USA Today reported earlier this afternoon that the two sides were moving toward an agreement.

According to Amick's previous update, the Nuggets were offering Robinson the bi-annual exception, since the team no longer has its mid-level exception, having used it to sign J.J. Hickson. Assuming Robinson signs for the full value of the BAE for two years, his deal would be worth about $2.02MM for the coming season, and $4.12MM in total.

Robinson appeared in all 82 regular season games for the Bulls last year, averaging 13.1 PPG and 4.4 APG in just 25.4 minutes per contest, good for a 17.4 PER. The Aaron Goodwin client also had some memorable performances in the playoffs, including scoring 34 points in a triple-overtime Bulls win against the Nets.

Once Robinson is locked up, the Nuggets will have three quality point guards on the roster, with Ty Lawson and Andre Miller also on board. At least one report earlier this month suggested the Nuggets were exploring trade options for Miller, so perhaps signing Robinson means the team will revisit that possibility.

Potential Destinations For Gustavo Ayon

July 26th, 2013 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

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.

Northwest Rumors: Team USA, Pekovic, Nuggets

July 25th, 2013 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

Two Northwest stars, Kevin Durant and Kevin Love, announced yesterday that they'll play for Team USA in the 2014 World Cup of basketball, but we don't know exactly who'll join them. USA Basketball Executive Director Jerry Colangelo says he'll narrow the pool of prospects to 25 or 30 by January, and he'll have until 48 hours before next summer's event begins to name a final roster, as Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com points out (Twitter links).

Here's more from around the Northwest division:

Durant believes current Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook and former teammate James Harden will play in next summer's World Cup as well, ESPN.com's Marc Stein writes in his latest round-up of tidbits from Team USA's camp. That would leave just eight of 12 roster spots to be filled.
Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor remains confident that the team will finalize a new deal with Nikola Pekovic, and doesn't think he'll have to call Pekovic personally, though he'd be open to doing so, says Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Within his latest piece on the Nuggets, Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post writes that Denver remains likely to re-sign Timofey Mozgov, and hears from GM Tim Connelly that the team "absolutely" plans to keep Andre Miller.

Kyler On Jennings, Henderson, Blair, Mozgov

July 24th, 2013 at 10:58am CST by Luke Adams

When I asked a week ago how Brandon Jennings' free agency would play out, over 41% of you predicted that he and the Bucks would ultimately work out a sign-and-trade agreement that sends him to another team. However, according to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, while some sign-and-trade scenarios have been explored, the Bucks aren't about to "sandbag their season" by moving Jennings in a deal that doesn't land them a starting-caliber point guard. Here's more from Kyler's latest NBA AM piece:

The Bucks and Jennings continue to maintain a dialogue, and Kyler thinks a deal in the $8MM-per-year range could be worked out, but something that pays Jennings $11-12MM annually is unlikely.
Mo Williams is considering a few scenarios, but is still hoping to land a "solid multiyear offer." If one doesn't materialize, he may be willing to take a small one-year contract to join a contender, as we heard last week.
Like the Bucks with Jennings, the Bobcats are waiting for a rival suitor to set Gerald Henderson's price. According to Kyler, several teams would be willing to do mid-level type offer sheets for Henderson, but the Bobcats would almost certainly match such an offer. Kyler adds that it appears likely Henderson will return to Charlotte on a multiyear deal, rather than signing his qualifying offer or being traded.
"Most of the league" has called about DeJuan Blair "in some capacity," writes Kyler. It sounds as if plenty of clubs would be willing to do one-year, low-money deals, but Blair is still seeking a multiyear pact, or a sign-and-trade that would allow him to keep his Bird rights.
Timofey Mozgov's destination remains unclear, with Kyler suggesting that the Spurs may be interested in the Nuggets' restricted free agent.

NBA Teams With Hard Caps For 2013/14

July 23rd, 2013 at 1:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The NBA's salary cap is famously known as a "soft cap," allowing teams to surpass the cap threshold using various cap exceptions, sometimes by a significant margin. Last season, the Lakers' team salary exceeded the cap by $40MM, with the team spending about $100MM (plus taxes) on its roster of players.

However, under the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement, there are a few instances in which a team can become hard-capped for a season. If a team's salary exceeds the luxury tax threshold ($71,748,000) by $4MM+, that team is not permitted to acquire a player via sign-and-trade, or to use the full mid-level or bi-annual exceptions. As soon as a team completes a sign-and-trade deal, or uses its BAE, or uses more than $3,182,700 of its MLE to sign a player, that club becomes hard-capped at $75,748,000 for the 2013/14 season. In other words, team salary can't exceed that amount at any point before June 30th, 2014.

For some clubs, that hard cap isn't a major concern. For instance, the Pelicans still have about $12MM in breathing room below the hard cap, and seem to be just about done making moves. On the other hand, the Celtics are only about $2MM below the hard cap, so any trades or signings Boston makes for the rest of the season will have to be constructed to ensure team salary doesn't surpass that $75.748MM cutoff.

Here are the clubs who are now locked into a hard cap for the 2013/14 season, along with an estimation (via HoopsWorld) of their current team salaries and the reason(s) why the hard cap was created:

Boston Celtics
Current estimated team salary: $73,638,001
Hard cap created: Acquired Keith Bogans via sign-and-trade

Los Angeles Clippers
Current estimated team salary: $72,361,060
Hard cap created: Acquired J.J. Redick via sign-and-trade; signed Matt Barnes and Darren Collison via non-taxpayer MLE

Toronto Raptors
Current estimated team salary: $70,710,039
Hard cap created: Acquired Quentin Richardson via sign-and-trade

Washington Wizards
Current estimated team salary: $69,883,992
Hard cap created: Signed Martell Webster via non-taxpayer MLE; signed Eric Maynor via BAE

Indiana Pacers
Current estimated team salary: $69,150,000
Hard cap created: Signed C.J. Watson via BAE

Golden State Warriors
Current estimated team salary: $68,333,105
Hard cap created: Acquired Andre Iguodala via sign-and-trade; signed Marreese Speights and Toney Douglas via non-taxpayer MLE

Denver Nuggets
Current estimated team salary¹: $66,849,937
Hard cap created: Acquired Randy Foye via sign-and-trade; signed J.J. Hickson via non-taxpayer MLE; signed Nate Robinson via BAE

San Antonio Spurs
Current estimated team salary²: $64,782,127
Hard cap created: Signed Marco Belinelli and Jeff Pendergraph via non-taxpayer MLE

New Orleans Pelicans
Current estimated team salary: $63,347,645
Hard cap created: Acquired Tyreke Evans via sign-and-trade

Minnesota Timberwolves
Current estimated team salary³: $61,158,583
Hard cap created: Acquired Kevin Martin via sign-and-trade; signed Corey Brewer via non-taxpayer MLE; signed Ronny Turiaf via BAE

¹Estimate includes Timofey Mozgov's cap hold
²Estimate includes Gary Neal's cap hold
³Estimate includes Nikola Pekovic's cap hold

HoopsWorld was used in the creation of this post.

Northwest Notes: Pekovic, Robinson, Jazz

July 22nd, 2013 at 6:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The Timberwolves have made it known that they intend to match any offer to restricted free agent Nikola Pekovic, but surprisingly no one has been willing to test their willingness to do so, writes Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld. Ingram argues that the Wolves already have a couple of players in Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio who expect to be max players in the near future, so it would at least be worth a try for a rival club. Here's more out of the Northwest Division..

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities speculates (via Twitter) that Pekovic's camp may be seeking a fifth year in negotiations with the Timberwolves. Flip Saunders is unlikely to go higher than four years though, according to Wolfson.
More from Ingram, who writes that even though Nate Robinson isn't the type of player that is going to lead his team to the NBA Finals, he can still be a relentless spark plug for the Nuggets off of the bench. Robinson also comes at a bargain price, getting a two-year deal worth a little over $4MM.
Guard John Lucas III told reporters, including Steve Luhm of the Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter), that he has known GM Dennis Lindsey since he was "eight or nine", which helped steer him to Utah. The guard added (link) that his father sees Utah as an ideal place for him at this point in his career and he agrees.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Free Agent Rumors: Miller, Oden, Camby, Blair

July 22nd, 2013 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent rumors and rumblings have slowed down since the start of July, as most of the bigger names have come off the board. Still, even though not a ton of teams have significant cap space or exception money remaining, plenty of intriguing players remain on the market. We're entering the point in the summer where teams are hunting for bargains and value signings, so here's the latest on a few players who could fit that bill:

Mike Miller is meeting face-to-face for a second time with both the Thunder and Grizzlies, who appear to be the two favorites for him, says Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Rockets and Nuggets aren't out of the running yet, but Miller's choice will likely come down to OKC or Memphis (Twitter links).
The Heat, Pelicans, and Kings will observe Greg Oden in person as he works out this week, according to Stein and Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, though Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports says (via Twitter) it'll just be the Pelicans and Kings. The Spurs and Mavericks are still in the hunt as well, with Miami and San Antonio still viewed as the frontrunners for the former first overall pick.
Marcus Camby is expected to make a decision on his next team within the next week, with the Rockets, Bulls, and Heat among the finalists, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com, DeJuan Blair's asking price is in the $3MM range, Lamar Odom is only interested in playing for a Los Angeles team, and Josh Akognon is drawing heavy interest from Chinese teams.
Zwerling adds (via Twitter) that the Knicks have some interest in Ivan Johnson, but the big man is still seeking a mini mid-level deal.
Prior to reaching an agreement with the Nuggets, Nate Robinson received serious interest from the Wizards, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). Washington had already used its mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, so making a competitive offer would have been tricky.
Free agent point guard Delonte West spoke to Tzvi Twersky of SlamOnline.com about his desire to return to an NBA roster.

Nuggets’ Talks With Nate Robinson Progressing

July 21st, 2013 at 2:14am CST by Luke Adams

2:14pm: Robinson and the Nuggets are moving closer to a deal, with Denver offering their bi-annual exception, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today, adding that an agreement could be reached today.

1:41pm: The Nuggets are making progress in talks with free agent point guard Nate Robinson, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). According to Spears, Robinson and Denver head coach Brian Shaw have had productive conversations.

We heard earlier this month that the Nuggets were one of a handful of teams with interest in Robinson. However, despite the number of clubs linked to 29-year-old, and his strong finish to the 2012/13 season, he doesn't appear to be inspiring a bidding war. The Nuggets have already used their mid-level exception to sign J.J. Hickson, so if they were to make an offer to Robinson, it would have to be for the bi-annual exception ($2MM+) or the veteran's minimum.

Robinson appeared in all 82 regular season games for the Bulls last year, averaging 13.1 PPG and 4.4 APG in just 25.4 minutes per contest, good for a 17.4 PER. According to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter), Robinson is in the market for a mini mid-level type deal.

This post was first published on July 22nd at 1:41pm CST.

Latest On Mike Miller

July 20th, 2013 at 8:25pm CST by Chuck Myron

8:25pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that the Nuggets are now receiving strong consideration from Miller's camp along with Oklahoma City and Memphis.

5:36pm: Mark Berman of Fox 26 tweets that NBA sources have confirmed the Rockets' reported offer to Miller.

3:28pm: The Rockets have formally extended an offer, Stein tweets. Houston has the $2.652MM room exception available. Meanwhile, Marc Gasol has joined the Grizzlies contingent trying to persuade Miller to go to Memphis.

2:40pm: Stein mentions the Rockets as another team still in the running for Miller, while Kevin Durant is aggressively pitching Miller on Oklahoma City (Twitter link).

2:28pm: Miller and Thunder GM Sam Presti have had their scheduled meeting, and Miller sat down yesterday with Grizzlies owner Robert Pera and CEO Jason Levien, Stein reports (Twitter link).

1:59pm: The Thunder have spent the past couple of days as the apparent leaders in the race to sign Mike Miller, but Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida tweets that they have company. The Grizzlies, along with the Thunder, are the front-runners, though Miller is still evaluating his options, Tomasson says. Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears the Nuggets are a threat as well, with plenty of playing time to offer following the departures of Andre Iguodala and Corey Brewer this summer (Twitter link).

The Spurs, Rockets and Warriors were also linked to Miller when he cleared amnesty waivers this week, but it's not clear whether those teams remain in the mix. The Cavs strongly considered claiming Miller while he was still on waivers, but they haven't been mentioned as a candidate to sign him outright. A report surfaced this week that Miller was considering fusion surgery on his back, which was giving pause to teams with thoughts of claiming him off waivers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors speculated that the surgery news was leaked to dissuade the Cavs from claiming him, pointing out that Miller "made it clear to people around him" that he didn't want to play in Cleveland, as Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal tweeted.

The Thunder appear unwilling to go into luxury tax territory to bring Miller aboard, but they're reportedly willing to waive DeAndre Liggins or Daniel Orton to accomodate a minimum-salary contract for Miller. That may not be enough to corral the sharpshooter, as the Nuggets can use the bi-annual exception to sign him, and the Grizzlies have the bi-annual as well as the mid-level exception. The Thunder have both of those exceptions available, too, but using either of them would push the team above the $71.748MM tax threshold.

The 33-year-old Miller, coming off a pair of championships with the Heat, isn't ready to retire any time soon, saying last month that he felt he could play for four or five more years. He might not be ready to accept a minimum-salary deal, even though he'll still be getting the remaining $12.8MM from his contract with the Heat.