Warriors Pick Up 2014/15 Option On Mark Jackson
The Warriors have officially exercised their team option on head coach Mark Jackson for the 2014/15 season, the team announced today in a press release.
In 2012/13, Jackson led the Warriors to a 47-35 record and a sixth seed in the Western Conference. It was the team's first playoff berth since 2006/07, and only the second in the last 19 seasons. Overall, Jackson has a 70-78 record (.473) as the head coach of the Warriors, and has one postseason series victory under his belt.
While there have been some rumblings about a potential contract extension for Jackson, the team's decision to pick up his '14/15 option will keep him under contract for at least two more seasons, so there's no rush to negotiate a new deal. Jackson himself indicated last month that he isn't expecting to sign an extension this offseason.
Warriors Sign Nemanja Nedovic
WEDNESDAY, 7:58am: The Warriors announced in a press release that the team has officially signed Nedovic, so presumably a buyout agreeement was reached.
TUESDAY, 4:34pm: 30th overall pick Nemanja Nedovic is working on a buyout with his Lithuanian team, and will sign with the Warriors for the 2013/14 season, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).
Given the uncertainty surrounding Nedovic's buyout, the Warriors' cap situation, and the available roster spots in Golden State, there was no guarantee that the Serbian guard would come to the NBA immediately. However, it appears he'll be able to sign his rookie-scale contract in the near future. As our chart shows, that would put him in line for a first-year salary worth about $1.06MM.
When Nedovic finalizes his buyout and signs with the Warriors, he'll join a backcourt that will include Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Toney Douglas. Andre Iguodala is also capable of playing both backcourt positions, and non-guaranteed players like Scott Machado and Kent Bazemore will be vying for roster spots as well.
Western Notes: Rockets, Speights, Jack
A few notes from around the NBA's Western Conference
- As we noted earlier, the Warriors plan on signing free agent forward Marreese Speights to bolster their suddenly thin front line (trying to recover from the loss of Carl Landry and a serious injury to Festus Ezeli). According to the Bay Area News Group's Marcus Thompson, Speights' deal could be for three-years and $9MM, but he isn't yet positive those numbers are accurate. ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst reports on that front that both Speights and former Warriors guard Jarrett Jack will sign outright with Golden State and the Cavaliers, respectively.
- The Rockets were fined $150K by the NBA for making public comments about Dwight Howard signing with the team before the league's moratorium has lifted, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.
- According to NewsOk.com's Darnell Mayberry, Thunder center Kendrick Perkins had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Tuesday morning. He will be off his feet for at least two weeks, which has a slight chance in factoring into whether the team chooses to amnesty him at some point soon.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Salmons, Lakers, Scalabrine
Let's round up a few Tuesday morning items out of the Pacific Division….
- Having missed out on Andre Iguodala, the Kings are still seeking a small forward, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. Within his piece, Jones notes that the Kings haven't shown interest in Andrei Kirilenko or Corey Brewer, and explores some trade possibilities for the club.
- The Kings continue to have interest in Monta Ellis, and ESPN.com's Marc Stein points out in a tweet that the team could potentially amnesty John Salmons to create the cap space necessary to sign Ellis. Of course, that would create an even bigger hole at small forward.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post is the latest to speculate that Carmelo Anthony might decide to sign with the Lakers next summer, especially if the Knicks underachieve in 2013/14. However, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com is skeptical about the Carmelo-to-L.A. rumblings, explaining in his latest piece why he thinks it's a comical idea.
- Warriors head coach Mark Jackson tweeted word last night that the team has brought Brian Scalabrine aboard as an assistant.
Warriors Notes: Speights, O’Neal, Bynum
The Warriors made another free agent pickup this evening when they agreed to sign Marreese Speights to a three-year deal. While Speights wasn't a fit in Cleveland and turned down a player option of ~$4.52MM to go elsewhere, he played some of his best basketball there in the second half of last season. Here's more out of Golden State..
- The Warriors have begun reaching out to reserve point guards to find a replacement for Jarrett Jack, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). They've offered minimum contracts to a few one-guards already in the last week.
- One source close to the process tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the Speights deal does not impact their pursuit of free agent center Jermaine O'Neal. The veteran is expected to make his decision soon.
- Matt Steinmetz of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter) is surprised that the Warriors haven't been linked to Andrew Bynum this summer. It's a signing that would make sense for them (though the Speights signing may change that) and they've been linked to every other free agent up to now.
Warriors, Nuggets, Jazz In Advanced Trade Talks
The Warriors, Nuggets, and Jazz are in "advanced discussions" on a three-way deal that would result in two players being signed-and-traded, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. According to Wojnarowski, the move would involve Andre Iguodala heading to Golden State via sign-and-trade, Randy Foye going to Denver via sign-and-trade, and a Warriors second-round pick heading to the Jazz.
If the deal were to be agreed upon, Foye would receive a three-year, $9MM contract from the Nuggets, with a team option on the third season, says Wojnarowski. ESPN.com's Marc Stein first reported late last night that Foye and the Nuggets were closing in on a verbal agreement. Meanwhile, the deal would mean yet another pick headed to Utah from the Warriors, who are already set to send the Jazz multiple first- and second-round picks in a separate agreement.
Over the weekend, I explained why the Warriors would likely pursue a sign-and-trade agreement with Denver rather than sign Iguodala outright, despite having already agreed to a four-year contract with him.
In that piece, I suggested that Golden State would take on Iguodala using the $11,046,000 trade exception the team will create by moving Richard Jefferson. That would create a trade exception worth the same amount for the Nuggets, though they may have to use a portion of it to acquire Foye. We'll have to wait to see if an agreement is reached before determining how all the cap details will work.
Odds & Ends: Morrow, Ellis, Rivers, Collison
Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- The Grizzlies, Warriors, and Bobcats are the latest teams to show interest in Anthony Morrow, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. The Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Rockets, and Knicks have all reached out as well.
- Nothing is imminent at this point between the Hawks and Monta Ellis, but the two sides are engaged in talks, Kennedy tweets.
- Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck took a shot at former coach Doc Rivers, telling Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that "Doc left us, period." Still, Grousbeck is confident his team can rebuild, as Bulpett observes in a separate piece.
- Many around the league are surprised that the Clippers were able to snag Darren Collison for a starting salary of just $1.9MM, Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets.
- The Spurs called 6'8" sharpshooter James Southerland to see if he would consider playing overseas next season if they took him with the 58th pick in last month's draft. Southerland turned down the offer and went undrafted, and is trying to prove himself with the Sixers and Warriors in summer league, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
- Josh Smith's agreement with the Pistons shatters the notion that marquee free agents won't come to Detroit, observes MLive's David Mayo, who examines how Smith fits on the team and what moves might be next for Joe Dumars and company.
Warriors Nearing Deal With Marreese Speights
The Warriors are closing in on a deal with big man Marreese Speights, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Details aren't totally clear just yet, but it's expected to be a one-year pact.
The soon-to-be 26-year-old spent last season with the Grizzlies and Cavs, averaging 8.3 PPG and 3.0 RPG. The Grizzlies dealt him, Wayne Ellington, Josh Selby, and a future first-round pick to the Cavs for Jon Leuer in January, a deal that helped Memphis ease some of their payroll burden and get beneath the tax line.
Speights had a $4.52MM player option for next season with the Cavs but opted out and Cleveland reportedly didn't pursue re-signing him. The Cavs didn't see him as a tremendous fit anyway, but with a frontcourt group that includes Anthony Bennett, Tristan Thompson, Anderson Varejao, and Tyler Zeller, there wasn't much room for him.
Free Agency Rumors: Bynum, Clippers, Warriors
Andrew Bynum is one of the biggest wildcards of this year's crop of free agents after failing to play a single minute while in a Sixers uniform this past season. Bynum's belabored knees kept him from showcasing the All-Star talent he displayed during the 2011/12 season with the Lakers, which is what prompted the Sixers to deal for him in the first place.
Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News notes that the Mavs have positioned themselves to be in the mix for Bynum this summer, but signing the injury-plagued seven-footer would have to be contingent on a couple of different stipulations:
One would be whether Bynum could fly to Dallas for a thorough physical with the Mavs to see how his knees are doing after another surgery this year. There's also no chance they'd sign Bynum to a long term contract unless the deal was written in such a way as to protect the team should he miss extended time because of injury.
Sefko notes that Bynum was a force for the 2011/12 Lakers averaging 18.7 PPG and 11.8 RPG while making the All-Star team, but he missed 28 games in 2010/11, 32 games in 2008/09 and 47 games in 2007/08.
Here are a few more rumors surrounding Bynum, the Clippers and Warriors during another whirlwind night of the NBA's free agency:
- Tom Moore of Phillyburbs.com tweets that he doesn't think a proposed hypothetical with the Mavs sending Shawn Marion's $9.3MM contract plus a second round draft pick to the Sixers would be enough to acquire Bynum.
- According to sources for the Los Angeles Times' Brad Turner, the Clippers are looking to bring back big men Ryan Hollins and Ronny Turiaf (Twitter).
- The Oakland Tribune's Marcus Thompson says the Warriors are interested in J.J. Hickson (Twitter), but the price might be too high to make a deal right now.
- Thompson also writes (via Twitter) that the Warriors are not looking for a number 2 point guard, but a number 3 point prospect that's more Charles Jenkins than Jarrett Jack. Coach Mark Jackson and GM Bob Myers have Andre Iguodala to fill their back-up point guard duties.
- Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld guesses that Lamar Odom may spurn his current Los Angeles team, the Clippers, for his former LA team, the Lakers (Twitter).
- Chris Haynes of Comcast Sportsnet Northwest says Jermaine O'Neal will make his free agency decision in the next 2-3 days, and that he wasn't pursued by the Blazers (Twitter).
Rockets Rumors: Gibson, Brewer, Asik
The Rockets have been the toast of the NBA's free agency period after agreeing on a deal for free agent Dwight Howard last night, but since the move they haven't rested on their laurels. General manager Daryl Morey has signed Omri Casspi from the Cavs, and re-signed Francisco Garcia.
But Morey and the Rockets aren't done as they're testing the waters to shore up their backcourt and figure out what to do with Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik, who have been offered in trade packages as the Rockets look to team James Harden and Howard with a third superstar.
The offering of Lin and Asik comes despite reports from Ken Berger at CBSSports.com earlier today that the Rockets may keep Asik and Lin next year. Asik has already voiced his displeasure at staying in Houston to back-up Dwight at center.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that a rumored Pelicans sign-and-trade for Asik, which sources originally revealed to Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnawrowski, hasn't even been discussed, and if it had the Pelicans would not be interested in the former Bulls center who took on a larger role with the Rockets this year. Let's look at a couple more rumored moves involving the Rockets this afternoon:
- Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle says the Rockets are interested in the Nuggets' unrestricted free agent Corey Brewer (Twitter).
- The Rockets are also looking at Houston native and Cavs free agent, Daniel Gibson, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, but cautions they're holding off on signing him for now.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets that with the Mavs and Warriors both currently looking to sign Suns unrestricted free agent Jermaine O'Neal, the Rockets might also be in the running.
- Because the Rockets signed Casspi and Garcia to two-year deals, they're not reimbursed for parts of contract over $884,293 tweets Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld.