Spurs Won’t Match Offer For Boban Marjanovic
The Spurs have decided not to match the three-year, $21MM offer sheet the Pistons gave to center Boban Marjanovic, tweets David Mayo of MLive. Marjanovic should serve as a backup to Andre Drummond, whom Detroit expects to sign later this summer.
The 7’3″ Serbian native played sparingly during his first NBA season after signing with the Spurs last summer. He averaged 9.4 minutes over 54 games, but made an impact with 5.5 points and 3.6 rebounds while shooting better than 60%.
Marjonic became expendable in San Antonio with the additions of Pau Gasol and Dewayne Dedmon.
Pistons To Waive Joel Anthony, Cameron Bairstow
In a move to clear cap space to sign center Boban Marjanovic, the Pistons intend to waive Joel Anthony and Cameron Bairstow, David Mayo of MLive reports. Neither player is owed any guaranteed money, so the team won’t be on the hook for any salary as a result of the moves. Detroit is reportedly set to ink Marjanovic to an offer sheet worth $21MM over three years.
Bairstow, 25, appeared in 18 games with Chicago last season, averaging 1.9 points, 1.6 rebounds in 5.7 minutes per outing. The two-year veteran was drafted out of the New Mexico with the No. 49 overall pick in the 2014 NBA Draft. As a senior for the Lobos, he averaged a Mountain West Conference-high 20.4 points, 7.4 rebounds and 32.9 minutes in 34 games. Bairstow holds career averages of 1.2 points, 1.0 rebounds and 4.6 minutes in 36 NBA games with the Bulls. He was acquired from the Bulls in June in exchange for guard Spencer Dinwiddie, who was reportedly waived by the Bulls today as well.
Anthony, 33, appeared in 19 games for the Pistons in 2015/16, averaging o.9 points and 1.1 rebounds in 5.1 minutes per outing. He shot .600/.000/.750 from the field on the year. Anthony was set to earn $2.5MM next season.
Pistons Sign Jon Leuer
JULY 8: The Pistons have officially signed Leuer, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 2: The Pistons and unrestricted free agent Jon Leuer have reached an agreement on a contract that will land the forward in Detroit, his agents at Priority Sports tweeted. It will be a four-year deal worth $42MM, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). The contract is fully guaranteed, adds Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter).
Detroit has been on the market for a stretch-four and Leuer, who has shot 37.5% from beyond the arc over the course of his five-year career, can certainly help to that end. He may not be as newsworthy an addition as Al Horford, whom the team was reportedly courting, but landing Leuer on a deal with an average annual salary of $10.5MM in the current free agent market is a nice fallback for the boys from Motown.
Leuer made 67 appearances for the Suns this past season, averaging 8.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.1 minutes per outing. He shot .481/.382/.762 on the season.
Free Agent Notes: Rondo, Wolves, Gasol
The Pelicans could still make a push for signing Rajon Rondo even after securing an agreement with E’Twaun Moore, John Reid of The Times Picayune writes. Reid acknowledges that there are other teams in the mix for Rondo and New Orleans appears to be a long-shot. There were conflicting reports on Friday as to whether the team was interested in Rondo.
Reid confirms an earlier report that the Pelicans were interested in Jeremy Lin, but the point guard’s price was too steep for the team. Lin signed a three-year, $36MM deal with Brooklyn on Friday.
Here’s more from around the league during this crazy start to free agency:
- The Wolves had interest in Luol Deng before he signed with the Lakers and they made calls to both Pau Gasol and Kent Bazemore before the latter signed with Atlanta, Kent Youngblood of The Star Tribune writes. The team would also like to add depth and has interest in Randy Foye, Willie Reed, Courtney Lee, Kris Humphries, Jamal Crawford, Brandon Bass, and Ian Mahinmi.
- The Thunder have also expressed interest in Reed, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
- Amar’e Stoudemire would be interested in returning to the Knicks, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. “If they want to bring me back, that would be a nice opportunity,” Stoudemire said.
- The Lakers bumped up Deng’s offer to $18MM per season after Bazemore turned down the same offer, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link).
- Ish Smith‘s new deal with the Pistons will pay him $5.7MM in year one, $6MM in year two and $6.3MM in the final season, per Rod Beard of the Detroit News (Twitter link).
- Former first-round pick Jan Vesely has interest from NBA teams, but it will take a starting salary of $11-12MM to bring him stateside, Net Income of SB Nation tweets.
- Rade Zagorac is negotiating a deal to play overseas with Red Star Belgrade, international journalist David Pick tweets. The Grizzlies acquired the No.35 overall pick in a deal with the Celtics on draft night.
- Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News takes a look at who the Mavericks can still get in free agency.
Latest On Al Horford, Celtics
The Celtics will meet with Al Horford later tonight in Atlanta and the team intends to put a max offer on the table, according to Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. Isaiah Thomas and Jae Crowder will be among the attendees present at the meeting, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders and Adam Himmelsbach of the Boston Globe (Twitter links).
Danny Ainge seems confident about his chances of signing Horford, as Evan Turner told Himmelsbach (full-length piece). Ainge told Turner that he was interested in having Turner re-sign with the team, but Boston was going to go after Horford and Kevin Durant before making an offer to the versatile wing. Turner worked out with Kyle Korver on Thursday and Korver told him that Horford would be re-signing with Atlanta. However, earlier today, Turner received a text message from Korver, asking him to call, and Turner had a sense that something had changed, Himmelsback writes. The Hawks signed Dwight Howard to a three-year, $70MM deal today, so perhaps the franchise was under the same impression.
Horford reportedly met with the Rockets earlier today and it’s unclear if any other teams have sat down with the former Florida Gator. Horford reportedly would like to stay in Atlanta and the team would like to bring the big man back. However, the team’s reluctance to offer a fifth year may drive Horford to sign elsewhere, as Zach Lowe of ESPN.com previously reported.
The Celtics have a meeting lined up with Durant on Saturday and if they can sign Horford, that would make Boston a more desirable destination for the 2013/14 MVP either this summer or next, Bulpett adds. Boston has relatively easy path to opening up enough cap space to sign both Horford and Durant to max contracts. The team would simply need to decline Jonas Jerebko‘s and Amir Johnson‘s respective team options and renounce the rights to both Jared Sullinger and Tyler Zeller.
Horford would be a perfect fit in Boston, as one anonymous coach told Bulpett. “Look at what they were trying to do with [Jared] Sullinger, and now put a guy in that spot who can make the shots. That would change their offense big-time,” the coach told Bulpett.
In addition to the Celtics, Hawks, and Rockets, Horford is receiving interest from the Thunder, Lakers, Magic, Pistons, Wizards, and Nets. The Heat were reportedly interested, but they are likely out of the running after agreeing to re-sign Hassan Whiteside.
New Piston Got Tired Of Waiting For Call
- Ish Smith, who agreed to terms with the Pistons early this morning, felt slighted that the Sixers waited so long to call him, tweets Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The team didn’t reach out to Smith until 3:30 a.m., and by that time he had decided to go to Detroit.
- Several teams are expected to pursue Blazers restricted free agent Maurice Harkless, posts Marc Spears on ESPN Now. A source tells Spears that the Wizards, Pistons, Lakers, Mavericks and Jazz are all interested.
Pistons Sign Ish Smith To Three-Year Deal
JULY 8, 1:30pm: The Pistons have officially locked up Smith, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 1, 7:39am: Smith’s pact is for three years and $18MM, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (via Twitter).
2:44am: The Pistons have reached an agreement on a three-year contract with free agent point guard Ish Smith, reports David Mayo of MLive.com (via Twitter). The financial terms of the deal, which can’t be finalized until next Thursday, aren’t yet known.
Smith, who turns 28 on Tuesday, has led a nomadic existence during his six NBA seasons so far, having played for multiple teams in five of his six seasons. In 2015/16, the Wake Forest alum played in 77 total games, including 50 (all starts) for the Sixers. During his time with Philadelphia last season, Smith averaged 14.7 points and 7.0 assists per contest, easily besting his career averages.
On Thursday, we heard that the 76ers had interest in retaining Smith, but in a backup role. Instead of returning to Philadelphia, however, it appears Smith will be headed to Detroit, where he’ll likely play behind Reggie Jackson at the point.
The Pistons’ backup point guard from this past season, Steve Blake, is eligible for unrestricted free agency, and the team’s agreement with Smith is a strong signal that Blake won’t be back.
Free Agent Rumors: Wade, Heat, Lakers, Horford
A source involved in the Dwyane Wade situation tells Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald that the Heat have been unable to tell Wade exactly what they’re willing to pay him because their plans will largely depend on whether or not they land Hassan Whiteside and/or Kevin Durant. That has left Wade feeling frustrated, since he wants to be a priority for the team. Still, Jackson says it would be a surprise if the veteran guard ultimately ended up anywhere except Miami.
Here are several more rumors and updates left over from what has been a busy first few hours of free agency:
- The Lakers didn’t reach out to Al Horford when free agency began, but they do have interest in him, says Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. It’s not clear whether that interest has dwindled at all now that the team has agreed to terms with Timofey Mozgov.
- The Magic have expressed interest in Jeff Green, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- Dwight Howard has sit-downs lined up with four teams, with his Friday meetings happening in Atlanta and his Saturday meetings happening in Las Vegas, tweets ESPN’s Chris Broussard. We know Howard is meeting with Atlanta and Boston, but it’s not clear who his other two suitors are.
- Don’t be surprised if – and when – the Pistons go after Thomas Robinson, per David Mayo of MLive.com (Twitter link).
- Lance Thomas and Langston Galloway each received interest from a handful of teams as free agency got underway, with the Thunder, Timberwolves, Nets, and Hawks calling Thomas, according to Ian Begley of ESPN.com. The Knicks would like to re-sign both players.
- E’Twaun Moore will start hearing pitches on Friday and his free agency may move quickly, sources tell ESPN’s Marc Stein (Twitter link). The Bulls are viewed as the favorites to retain Moore.
- When he called free agent guard Jamal Crawford on Thursday night, Clippers coach Doc Rivers swore Crawford wouldn’t be going anywhere, per Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
Pistons Interested In Maurice Harkless
- The Pistons, Wizards, Bulls, Lakers and Mavericks are among the teams interested in Trail Blazers restricted free agent Maurice Harkless, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (via Twitter).The 23-year-old appeared in 78 games this season and averaged 6.4 points, 3.6 rebounds and 0.9 assists in 18.7 minutes per contest.
Van Gundy Wants More Big Men; Hilliard Injured
- The Pistons would like to add two more big men this offseason, writes Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Coach/executive Stan Van Gundy said starting power forward Tobias Harris doesn’t really fit that description, and he wants to be sure the team isn’t short on size next year. “I think I wouldn’t be comfortable going with fewer than five, so we’ve got to go out and get two bigs – four, five, whatever,” Van Gundy said. “We need two bigger guys, even though Marcus [Morris] and Tobias will play there a lot. You just get into certain matchups.”
- The performance of second-round pick Michael Gbinije in summer league will help determine the fate of Phil Pressey, Langlois writes in the same piece. Pressey is also on the Pistons‘ summer league roster, but his chances at winning a backup point guard spot for next season will decrease if Gbinije shows he can handle the position.
- A stress fracture in his lower back will sideline Detroit’s Darrun Hilliard for the summer league and possibly longer, according to Rod Beard of The Detroit News. A 6’6″ reserve guard, Hilliard played in 38 games last summer and was projected to have a significant role on the Pistons‘ summer league team. “I just thought my back was tight and I just thought that I wasn’t stretching enough,” he said. “I was stretching and stretching and stretching, thinking it would get better and it never got better.”