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Atlantic Rumors: Celtics, Crowder, Knicks, Buycks

July 7th, 2017 at 3:36pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of today’s trade with the Pistons that sends Avery Bradley to Detroit, the Celtics have no intention of moving Jae Crowder and have no “pressing” deals on the go, reports Adam Himmelsbach of The Boston Globe (Twitter links). Himmelsbach adds that Boston will look to use its room exception, and the team never rules out the possibility of more dealing, as Mark Murphy of The Boston Herald tweets. For now, though, nothing appears imminent.

One player who could be a candidate for the Celtics’ room exception is free agent center Dewayne Dedmon. Jabari Young of The San Antonio Express-News suggests (via Twitter) that he kept hearing at the Utah Summer League how intrigued the Celtics are by Dedmon. However, it’s not clear if that interest is mutual, particularly given Boston’s cap limitations.

Here’s more from around the Atlantic:

Asked today about the trade rumors surrounding Paul George, Pacers president Kevin Pritchard told reporters that the rumored offers from the Celtics and other teams were only about 5% correct (Twitter link via Matt Glenesk of The Indianapolis Star).
The Knicks were impressed by guard Dwight Buycks‘ performance in Summer League and are interested in signing him to their offseason roster, sources tell Ian Begley of ESPN.com. Buycks helped lead the Mavericks’ squad to an Orlando Summer League title this week.
The Knicks‘ offer sheet for Tim Hardaway Jr. includes the same advance salary structure as Otto Porter‘s deal with the Nets, tweets ESPN’s Zach Lowe. Hardaway’s deal calls for 50% of his annual salary to be paid by October 1 annually.
Veteran guard Sergio Rodriguez, who spent the season with the Sixers, prefers to remain in the NBA. However, CSKA Moscow is making a push to lure him back overseas, according to Nikos Varlas of Eurohoops. The Russian club lost Milos Teodosic to the Clippers in free agency.

Bojan Bogdanovic’s Becomes UFA; Pacers Make Push

July 7th, 2017 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

1:45pm: The Pacers have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Bogdanovic, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via Twitter).

1:36pm: The Wizards have withdrawn their qualifying offer on Bojan Bogdanovic, giving up their right of first refusal on the free agent forward, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge. As a result of the move, Bogdanovic will be an unrestricted free agent and can sign outright with any team.

Bogdanovic, 28, enjoyed the best season of his NBA career in 2016/17, starting 54 games for the Nets before being sent to the Wizards in a deadline deal. For the season, the 6’8″ swingman averaged 13.7 PPG and 3.4 RPG, with a .445/.367/.893 shooting line.

Despite his solid production, Bogdanovic isn’t viewed as an elite two-way player, so it came as a bit of a surprise when one report indicated he was seeking $16MM annually over three or four years. That sort of money may have been available for a player like Bogdanovic in free agency a year ago when nearly every team had cap room, but the market hasn’t been as prosperous this time around.

Sean Deveney of The Sporting News suggested on Thursday that Bogdanovic’s price tag was “quickly dropping,” though perhaps becoming unrestricted will help. The Hawks, Kings, and Nuggets were among the teams showing interest earlier in free agency — it’s not clear if they’re all still in the mix.

The Wizards are poised to match the Nets’ offer sheet for Otto Porter and reached a deal with Jodie Meeks earlier this week, which made Bogdanovic the odd man out in D.C.

Pacers Waive Rakeem Christmas

July 6th, 2017 at 5:03pm CST by Luke Adams

5:03pm: The Pacers have officially waived Christmas, per the NBA’s transactions log.

10:17am: In his full story on Christmas’ pending release, Agness clarifies that the forward’s salary would have become guaranteed if he remained under contract beyond July 6, which is why the team is making the move today.

10:03am: The Pacers plan to waive Rakeem Christmas before the end of the day on Thursday, league sources tell Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports (Twitter link).

Christmas, 25, made his NBA debut for the Pacers in 2015/16, then appeared in 29 regular season games for the team last season. Christmas saw limited minutes in those games, averaging 2.0 PPG and 1.9 RPG in 7.6 minutes per contest.

Christmas’ 2017/18 salary, worth the minimum, was reportedly only guaranteed for $50K, per Basketball Insiders, so the Pacers will clear most of it from their cap. The 6’9″ forward’s full salary was scheduled to become guaranteed on August 1.

The Pacers waived Monta Ellis on Wednesday, stretching his contract in order to create nearly $9MM in cap room for 2017/18. The team also renounced its free agent rights to Aaron Brooks, Lavoy Allen, and Jeff Teague, per RealGM’s transactions log.

Teague has a deal lined up with Minnesota, so that move isn’t a surprise, but there didn’t seem to be any pressing need to renounce Brooks or Allen. There also was no apparent rush to cut Christmas quite yet, so it’s possible the Pacers have a move or two up their sleeves with their newly-expanded cap room.

Southeast Notes: Meeks, Porter, Reed, Magic

July 6th, 2017 at 2:56pm CST by Arthur Hill

The Wizards will use their mid-level exception instead of their bi-annual exception to sign Jodie Meeks, tweets Tim Bontemps of The Washington Post. The change was made to avoid being hard-capped by the expected re-signing of Otto Porter. Meeks will still receive $7MM over two seasons; the money will just come from a different source (Twitter link). The Wizards still haven’t received the Nets’ offer sheet for Porter, adds J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic (Twitter link).

There’s more from the Southeast Division:

The Clippers, Warriors, Hawks, Sixers and Pacers all remain in the market for Heat back-up center Willie Reed, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. Miami also hopes to re-sign him.
The Magic’s new management team is taking a cautious attitude toward rebuilding, relays Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando has been quiet during the first week of free agency, despite coming off a 29-53 season and having up to $15.1MM available to spend. “There’s a lot less money in the free-agent market this year than there was last year,” said Jeff Weltman, the team’s new president of basketball operations. “And so, the approach that we’ve taken is to kind of wait and see how some of that shakes out towards the next phase of free agency and see which players we may be able to get into discussions with at that point. But we’ve been touching base with a lot of guys and just kind of gauging the market.”
The Hornets have promoted Buzz Peterson to assistant GM, the team announced on its website. A former standout at North Carolina and a head coach at five colleges, Peterson had been serving as the Hornets’ senior advisor to basketball operations. “He brings a wide breadth of basketball knowledge to the position, having been involved in the game at various levels for close to three decades,” said Charlotte GM Rich Cho. “I’m excited to be working more closely with Buzz in his new role and look forward to his continued contributions to our basketball team.”

Pacers Sign Edmond Sumner

July 5th, 2017 at 6:49pm CST by ChrisCrouse

The Pacers have signed Edmond Sumner, according to the team’s website. The terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but Scott Agness of Vigilant Sports hears (Twitter link) that the deal will be for two seasons and it will be the team’s first ever two-way contract.

Each team is allowed to sign two players to two-way deals, as our Two-Way Contracts Glossary page shows. Players under these contracts will spend most of their time in the G-League since they are only allowed to be with their NBA club for at most 45 days.

The Pelicans selected Sumner with the No. 52 overall selection in the 2017 draft before shipping his rights to Indiana for cash considerations. The Pacers came out of the draft with three prospects, having selected T.J. Leaf and Ike Anigbogu with its two original selections.

Sumner played three seasons for Xavier, scoring 14.3 points per game in his final season with the school. He added 4.8 assists and 1.2 steals per contest during his junior season.

Pacers Waive Monta Ellis

July 5th, 2017 at 5:03pm CST by Luke Adams

5:03pm: The Pacers have officially waived Ellis, per the NBA’s transactions log. According to David Aldridge of TNT (via Twitter), Indiana will use the stretch provision on Ellis, stretching his cap hit across five years.

That will create nearly $9MM in extra 2017/18 cap room for the Pacers, which they could use to make an offer to Kelly Olynyk or another free agent.

4:16pm: Confirming that Ellis is being waived, Nate Taylor of The Indianapolis Star tweets that there’s no buyout involved in the transaction, meaning Indiana will remain on the hook for Ellis’ 2017/18 salary unless another team claims him, which is extremely unlikely.

4:06pm: The Pacers are waiving veteran guard Monta Ellis, according to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). Charania’s report doesn’t include any additional details yet, but the two sides were said to be discussing a buyout earlier this week, so it seems they’ve reached an agreement.

Ellis entered the 2016/17 season having started 677 of 710 regular season games since his rookie season, but saw his role with the Pacers reduced last season, and started just 33 of 74 games. The 31-year-old averaged 8.5 PPG and 3.2 APG in 27 MPG, which all represented the lowest marks since his rookie season back in 2005/06.

The contract Ellis signed with Indiana back in 2015 called for him to make $11.227MM in 2017/18 and featured a player option worth $11.69MM in 2018/19. Ellis’ player option is currently non-guaranteed, however, so the Pacers will only be on the hook for his ’17/18 salary if no buyout was reached.

Ellis will be suspended for the first five games of next season for violating the league’s anti-drug policy, but that shouldn’t have a substantial impact on his market as he seeks his next team. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent after he officially clears waivers.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pacers, Nets, Others Interested In Kelly Olynyk

July 5th, 2017 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The Pacers, Nets, Kings, and Jazz are among the teams “coming on strong” for Kelly Olynyk, according to Sam Amick of USA Today, who reports (via Twitter)

Gordon Hayward‘s decision on Tuesday likely helped jump-start the market for several other free agents, but none were impacted as directly as Olynyk. In order to help create cap room for Hayward’s maximum salary contract, the Celtics withdrew Olynyk’s qualifying offer, making him an unrestricted free agent rather than an RFA.

Olynyk is now eligible to sign outright with a new team, which has created significant interest around the league. The Pacers, Nets, Kings, and Jazz all have cap room left over, and would each likely be able to offer more than the mid-level exception, though Brooklyn may want resolution on Otto Porter‘s offer sheet first, and Indiana is trying to shed some salary, per Amick.

Olynyk, 26, appeared in 75 regular season games for the Celtics last season, averaging 9.0 PPG and 4.8 RPG and once again showed off an ability to make an outside shot (.368 career 3PT%). His most memorable performance in Boston came in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference semifinals against the Wizards, when he helped the C’s seal the series with a 26-point outburst.

Western Rumors: Gasol, Faried, T-Wolves, Young

July 5th, 2017 at 12:33pm CST by Luke Adams

While a handful of Western Conference teams have made major roster moves so far this offseason, the Grizzlies have been fairly quiet. The team reached an agreement to sign Ben McLemore, but also lost Zach Randolph and has yet to lock up its other free agents like JaMychal Green and Tony Allen.

With their window of contention potentially closing, would the Grizzlies consider moving Marc Gasol? Two league executives suggest to Chris Mannix of The Vertical that Gasol is a player worth keeping an eye on as a possible trade candidate. Mannix’s note is tucked away in a larger piece about the Celtics‘ next moves, and as he points out, Gasol would make a lot of sense as a target for Boston. However, there’s no indication that any talks have happened or that Memphis is even considering such a roster shake-up, so it sounds like speculation at this point.

Here’s more from around the Western Conference:

Teams are calling the Nuggets to inquire about Kenneth Faried, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsHype. With Paul Millsap arriving in Denver, the Nuggets’ frontcourt is getting crowded, and the team probably wouldn’t mind getting out from under Faried’s contract, so a trade remains a possibility.
Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who reported on Tuesday that the Pacers might be interested in working out a sign-and-trade deal with the Timberwolves for C.J. Miles, suggests that Indiana is further along on a Miles sign-and-trade scenario with another team (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Minnesota is waiting on Nick Young, having made him a two-year offer that is likely worth the room exception, tweets Wolfson.
In other Timberwolves news, first-round pick Justin Patton won’t be participating in Summer League with the club, having suffered a foot fracture during a workout, the team announced on Tuesday. Patton underwent surgery to repair a broken fifth metatarsal in his left foot and will be sidelined indefinitely, per the team.

Free Agent Rumors: Wolves, Knicks, Waiters, Jazz

July 4th, 2017 at 10:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The Timberwolves were linked to free agent swingman C.J. Miles earlier today, but weren’t necessarily considered a probable landing spot for Miles due to the team’s lack of cap flexibility. However, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link), who passed along the initial report on Miles, the Pacers are open to the idea of a sign-and-trade which would net them Cole Aldrich‘s contract and OKC’s 2018 first-round pick from Minnesota.

Both teams would have to agree on that sign-and-trade scenario, and of course Miles would also have to be on board, so there may be some snags along the way. But as Wolfson points out, there are ways for the Wolves to get creative if they really want to land Miles or another free agent.

Wolfson has more on the Wolves, tweeting that he has heard the team made an offer to Nick Young. That offer would likely be worth the $4.3MM room exception, and Young turned down a $5.67MM player option with the Lakers last month, so I’d be surprised if Minnesota’s offer is enough to land him, but the club clearly remains on the lookout for shooting help.

Here’s more on free agency:

The Knicks continue to stay in touch with free agent guard Dion Waiters, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, who reports (via Twitter) that Waiters and Rajon Rondo remain on the Lakers‘ radar.
With Gordon Hayward and Otto Porter off the board, the Jazz have expressed interest in Rudy Gay, says Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). As Royce Young of ESPN tweets, Patrick Patterson essentially took the deal that Gay was unwilling to with the Thunder, so OKC may be out, leaving the Heat and Jazz as the top contenders for Gay.
Having already brought back nearly all of their key free agents, the Warriors are also considered likely to re-sign Zaza Pachulia, according to Sam Amick of USA Today.
After a strong showing for the Pistons in Summer League play, Eric Moreland is believed to have received a multiyear contract offer from Detroit, tweets Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders.

Monta Ellis, Pacers Discussing Buyout

July 3rd, 2017 at 8:56pm CST by Dana Gauruder

Monta Ellis and the Pacers are discussing a possible buyout, sources told Nate Taylor of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link). The buyout could be completed later this month, Taylor adds.

It wouldn’t be a major surprise for Ellis to be seeking a better situation or to join a contender, considering his diminished playing time last season. Ellis, 31, started 81 games for Indiana in 2015/16 but started just 33 of 74 games last season. He averaged 8.5 PPG and 3.2 APG in 27 MPG, all career lows except for his rookie season of 2005/06 with the Warriors.

Ellis is due to make $11.2MM next season and holds a player option for $11.69MM in 2018/19.

A buyout would leave the Pacers a little thin at both guard positions even with the addition of Victor Oladipo in the blockbuster trade with the Thunder that shipped Paul George to the Western Conference. Indiana also agreed in principle to a two-year contract with point guard Darren Collison on Monday. Ellis knows he’d likely be a backup at either spot for a team in a rebuilding phase.

Ellis will be suspended for the first five games of next season for violating the league’s anti-drug policy.