Pacific Notes: Clippers, Suns, Kings
Austin Rivers did not take a “family discount” in agreeing to return to the Clippers and play for his father, Doc Rivers, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com reports. The two-year, $6.4MM deal, according to Yahoo Sports’ Adrian Wojnarowski (Twitter link), is comparable to what Rivers would have likely seen in terms of annual salary if he signed with another team, a league executive told Blakely.
Here’s more from the Pacific Division:
- By spending his summer in Phoenix instead of returning to his hometown of Birmingham, Eric Bledsoe is showing a full offseason commitment to the Suns, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic writes. Bledsoe has been working out at US Airways Center, has attended draft workouts and was part of the Suns’ recruiting group that pitched to LaMarcus Aldridge, Coro points out. Bledsoe’s name swirled in trade rumors when the team agreed to re-sign Brandon Knight, but Suns coach Jeff Hornacek later denied any talks. Bledsoe is set to make $13.5MM next season in the second year of a five-year, $70MM deal.
- Vlade Divac, Kings vice president of basketball and franchise operations, acknowledged that the relationship between coach George Karl and center DeMarcus Cousins isn’t exactly great, but, while appearing on The Jim Rome Show on CBS Sports Radio, Divac said he expects both to be with Sacramento this season (story relayed by ESPN.com). “Well, I’ll be honest with you, it’s not pretty right now, but I’m focused on bringing a better team this year and I think I did a pretty good job in this free agency and now I’m going to be focused on the two of them,” Divac said.
Free Agent Roundup: Thompson, Sloan, Datome
Cavaliers GM David Griffin remains optimistic the team will retain restricted free agent Tristan Thompson, Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio reports. “I think we’ll wind up getting something done,” Griffin told the Cleveland media. Amico opines that Thompson should take the reported five-year, $80MM contract that Cleveland has offered him, given that the club already has three max-level players in LeBron James, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love. It may come down to the Cavs having to match an offer sheet for the power forward, Amico adds.
In other free agent news:
- Donald Sloan is discussing a contract with the Spurs, Bulls and Mavericks, league sources told RealGM’s Shams Charania (Twitter link). Sloan spent the past two seasons with the Pacers and averaged 7.4 points, 3.6 assists and 2.7 rebounds in 53 games last season, including 21 starts.
- The Pistons are looking to re-sign point guard John Lucas III, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. The Magic, Spurs, Mavericks and Clippers are also interested, Stein adds. Lucas would give the Pistons four point guards along with Reggie Jackson, Brandon Jennings and Spencer Dinwiddie.
- Luigi Datome‘s Eurobasket profile has the free agent forward signing with Khimki Moscow but Eurobasket.com’s David Pick is skeptical, adding that Datome might wind up with CSKA Moscow if he plays overseas (Twitter links). Datome played for the Pistons and Celtics last season.
- Fuquan Edwin drew interest from three NBA teams after he scored 16 points and made two steals for the Pelicans’ summer league team, Adam Zagoria of SNY.TV tweets. The former Seton Hall shooting guard played for Guaros de Lara in the Venezuelan league last season.
Cavaliers Rumors: Love, Thompson, Smith, Haywood
A pool-side meeting with LeBron James and a 12:01 a.m. phone call on July 1st helped convince Kevin Love to stay in Cleveland, according to Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. “We talked everything out,” Love said of the session with James. “A lot of stuff was very honest. We came to a very good place and agreed on a lot of things.” Love added that the early phone call from the organization let him know he was a priority. He agreed to a new five-year, $113MM deal with Cleveland.
There’s more news regarding the Cavs:
- The newly signed James reminded the Cavaliers that they still have offseason work left to do, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com. While filming a movie Friday, James talked about moves the team has made this summer and some that are still left to finish. “We still got to re-sign Tristan Thompson,” he said. “Hopefully we can bring back J.R. Smith as well and see if there’s some other free agents out there that’d love to come here and play if we’re able to do that.”
- Thompson and the Cavs were reportedly close to reaching a five-year, $80MM deal, but talks stalled when he asked for the $85MM that the Warriors’ Draymond Green received, according to Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. He also notes that Smith, who turned down a $6.4MM option for next season, has found few suitors in free agency. Cleveland is reluctant to give him a large raise or a long-term deal, two things Smith is seeking.
- Turning Brendan Haywood‘s non-guaranteed $10.5MM contract into a trade exception might be the best option for the Cavs, writes Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. Today’s release of Deron Williams by the Nets eases Brooklyn’s financial strain and removes another potential suitor for Haywood, Lloyd writes. One possible alternative is to send Haywood to the Clippers for Jamal Crawford, but L.A. officials have denied they are dealing Crawford, and Cleveland won’t need him if Smith re-signs. Haywood is expected to be dealt before his contract becomes fully guaranteed August 1st.
Clippers Ink Paul Pierce
JULY 10TH, 6:02pm: The signing is official, the Clippers announced via a press release.
JULY 1ST, 6:16pm: The Clippers are set to sign veteran small forward Paul Pierce to a free agent deal, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register reports (Twitter link). Los Angeles is using the taxpayer’s mini-mid level exception to ink the veteran, and the deal is for three years, and approximately $10MM, including a team option for the third season, TNT’s David Aldridge relays (on Twitter). The Wizards made a push to re-sign Pierce, who reportedly enjoyed his time in Washington D.C., but the lure of playing for former coach Doc Rivers likely proved too strong, though that is merely my speculation. The Celtics, Pierce’s former team, were also reportedly in the mix for his services. Pierce will fill a major void at small forward for Los Angeles.
Pierce takes a paycut from the $5,543,725 he was set to earn in 2015/16 with the Wizards after opting out of his deal. He had been on the fence regarding returning for an 18th season. “I haven’t really thought about it,” Pierce said after the Wizards were eliminated from this season’s NBA playoffs. “I don’t even know if I am going to play basketball anymore. These seasons get harder and harder every year, every day. Summers get even harder when you start getting back in shape. I’m 37 years old. I’m top two or three oldest in the league.” Pierce had indicated that he would take some time and discuss the matter with his family before making his call on next season. “I have been playing this game [for] like 32 years. Since I was a little kid. Probably going to be the hardest thing to do is put the game down. But I know that time is coming one day. I am not sure if it is this year or next year. I will sit down with my family and figure things out,” Pierce said.
The 37-year-old enjoyed a solid campaign with Washington last season, appearing in 73 contests and averaging 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. His career numbers are 20.17 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.7 APG, and he owns a shooting line of .447/.371/.806.
Heat Sign Amar’e Stoudemire
FRIDAY, 4:41pm: The Heat have officially signed Stoudemire, the team announced. It will be a one-year deal worth $1.5MM, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets. “We are very fortunate that a proven All-Star like Amar’e has chosen the Miami Heat,” said team president Pat Riley. “He is going to bring gravitas, leadership and a hardworking mentality to our team as we look to win another Championship in Miami.”
THURSDAY, 10:53pm: The Heat are believed to be close to a deal with Amar’e Stoudemire, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who cites sources (Twitter link). Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirmed through an associate of Stoudemire’s that it is indeed the case and that the 13-year veteran would like to play for the Heat, though that associate cautioned that a deal is not yet a given. The Happy Walters client won’t base his decision on money, Jackson hears, a plus for the Heat, who are limited to only their $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception and are poised to pay repeat-offender tax penalties this season unless they clear some of their salary commitments.
Stoudemire will meet with the Heat on Friday, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported (on Twitter), and team president Pat Riley will take part, Jackson notes. Several other teams have apparently been in the mix for the big man, as the Clippers, Rockets, Mavericks, Lakers and Suns all reportedly expressed interest in him as someone who could shore up their respective benches.
Stoudemire didn’t want to go to the Clippers unless he could start, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported, and it seems unlikely he’d start over Chris Bosh or Hassan Whiteside in Miami. Still, Stoudemire apparently had at least some level of mutual interest in the Clippers, as well as the Mavs, Lakers, Suns and Spurs. He was expected to speak with Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers this past weekend, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, who added the Pacers to the list of teams that Stoudemire was eyeing.
Clippers, Darrell Arthur Share Mutual Interest
The Clippers and Darrell Arthur share interest in the idea of a deal, but the team has yet to make an offer to the Jerry Hicks client, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). The power forward has nonetheless been drawing the eye of the Clips for a while, as Dan Woike of the Orange County Register reported the club’s interest last month.
Arthur and the Nuggets have had productive talks about a return, but the Pistons and Wizards like him, too, as Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post reported last week. The Nuggets have Arthur’s Bird rights, so they can far outbid the Clippers, who have only the minimum salary to offer. The Pistons could float him the $2.814MM room exception, while the Wizards have only about $1.464MM left on their mid-level after using most of it on Alan Anderson, and that’s not much more than the minimum.
The 27-year-old put up numbers this season largely in line with his career averages, and as usual, he played a bench role, averaging 17.0 minutes per game. Still, he’s been a fixture in the rotation for the Grizzlies and Nuggets since becoming the 27th overall pick in 2008.
Clippers Expect To Re-Sign Glen Davis
The Clippers and Glen Davis continue to talk, and the team expects it will re-sign Big Baby, reports Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter). Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers reportedly reached out to representatives of Davis soon after free agency began last week. It’s been an active Friday so far for the Clips, as they’ve been negotiating with Cole Aldrich and Austin Rivers as they maintain interest in Josh Smith.
Davis, 29, has a relationship with Doc that dates back to their days with the Celtics. The Clips have Early Bird rights on Davis to pay him up to about $6MM, though it’s unlikely he’ll command quite that much after playing last season on the minimum salary.
The eight-year veteran averaged career lows in points and minutes per game in 2014/15. Still, the John Hamilton client was one of only eight players to average more than 10 minutes per game in the playoffs for the Clippers this spring.
Clippers, Josh Smith Have Mutual Interest
FRIDAY, 12:42pm: The Clippers remain interested even after Jordan’s decision to return, as Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). The Kings and Mavs are also reportedly in the mix.
TUESDAY, 12:21pm: The interest between the Clippers and Smith is mutual, and the team has spoken to the representatives of the Brian Dyke and Wallace Prather client, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter).
MONDAY, 6:34pm: The Clippers are targeting unrestricted free agent Josh Smith even though the club is cap-strapped, Ramona Shelburne of ESPN com tweets.
Though the Clippers lost DeAndre Jordan to the Mavericks, they still have approximately $68.1MM in guaranteed salary commitments next season. They also used part of their mid-level exception to get a verbal agreement with veteran forward Paul Pierce and only have $2,088MM remaining. Smith could slide into the rotation as a backup to Blake Griffin at power forward, as well as play some small forward and even play alongside Griffin in smaller lineups.
There hasn’t been a whole lot of buzz regarding Smith in free agency, though the Kings reportedly met with him. Smith has expressed a strong interest in re-signing with Rockets, who signed him as a free agent in late December after the Pistons released him, even though he was in the second year of a guaranteed four-year, $54MM deal.
Still, it would appear that Smith could find a bigger offer if he’s patient. While he flamed out in Detroit, he seemed to reestablish at least some of his value as a rotation player on a team that reached the Western Conference Finals.
Smith started at small forward for Detroit but mainly played power forward with the Rockets off the bench, averaging 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists in 55 games. He also had some big games in the postseason, averaging 13.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists.
Clippers Near Deal With Austin Rivers
The Clippers and Austin Rivers are in “strong discussions” as they negotiate terms on a would-be new contract, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (on Twitter), and the Clippers expect they’ll reach a deal, tweets Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link). It would likely be a short-term arrangement so that Rivers could hit free agency again soon, as Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders hears (Twitter link). Teams have offered him multiyear contracts, but he feels as though he can help improve his stock if he stays with the Clippers just a while longer, Kennedy adds (on Twitter).
It’s no surprise to see Rivers draw close to a deal with the Clippers, and in part because his father is Doc Rivers, the team’s president of basketball operations and coach. Doc made it clear this spring that he wanted to re-sign his son, though Austin reportedly intended to explore his options in unrestricted free agency.
Rivers can’t receive $3,110,796 this coming season from the Clippers. That’s because the Pelicans declined the fourth-year option on his rookie scale contract before this past season, so whichever team wound up with him at season’s end would be limited to no more than the amount of that option. That holds for the Clippers even though they had nothing to do with declining the option. Other teams can pay him more, though it’s unclear if he could command that much. The Clippers may well be wary of paying even as much as that $3MM-plus figure, since they’re already poised to exceed the $84.74MM tax line.
Reactions To DeAndre Jordan Signing
DeAndre Jordan officially re-signed with the Clippers today after changing his mind regarding the verbal contract agreement he had made with the Mavericks. Jordan’s deal is for four years, $87.6MM, with a player option after the third season, and includes a 15% trade kicker. Wednesday night was a surreal event as Clippers officials camped out at Jordan’s Houston area home until the July moratorium officially came to an end at midnight Eastern time, and Jordan could officially sign the agreement. Here are some of the reactions around the league regarding this unusual event:
- Mavs owner Mark Cuban took exception to a report made by ESPN’s Chris Broussard which stated that Cuban was desperately contacting Jordan’s relatives in a last-ditch effort to sway the big man toward Dallas on Wednesday evening. Cuban posted a message via CyberDust (h/t Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com) saying that he hadn’t spoken with Jordan since Tuesday night, and that the owner even offered to let unrestricted free agent Wesley Matthews out of his own verbal agreement with Dallas.
- Broussard stood by his report (via Twitter), relaying that multiple sources had informed him that Cuban was attempting to contact Jordan on Wednesday night, and if Cuban was able to obtain Jordan’s address, he would have attempted to visit the center in an attempt to change Jordan’s mind yet again.
- The NBPA issued a statement regarding the moratorium as it relates to the Jordan situation (h/t Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe), which read, “The moratorium period exists for both players and teams to thoughtfully weigh and consider options before signing any contracts. And while we fully support the opportunity to review options, we also acknowledge there is a risk for both players and teams for the other party to change his mind during discussions. We all walk into these conversations understanding that as with any business contract, it’s not a deal until the paper is signed.“
- The Mavs will have no choice now but to rebuild, writes MacMahon in a separate piece. The snub by Jordan and the departure of Tyson Chandler to the Suns have left the organization with few options for next season at the pivot, MacMahon opines.
- Zach Lowe of Grantland proposes that the NBA ban all contract talks until the end of the moratorium on July 9th, so that when discussions officially commence, they can lead to enforceable, signed contracts right away.
- Mavericks former minority owner/GM Frank Zaccanelli said that Dallas may be thankful down the line that it missed out on Jordan, Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News relays. “They dodged a bullet,” Zaccanelli said of Jordan’s decision. “He’s a really good rebounder and a good defender. But he’s a liability on offense and there’s no way he’s going to be able to be your focus offensively. He can’t make fouls shots and he has no outside shot. Plus, Dallas is the hottest market in the world right now and somebody doesn’t want to be there, and he wasn’t going to be the centerpiece of the franchise anyway, then the Mavericks shouldn’t want him.”