Clippers Sign Wesley Johnson
THURSDAY, 2:35pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
TUESDAY, 2:16pm: Wesley Johnson is set to join the Clippers, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). It’ll be a minimum salary deal, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (on Twitter). Johnson was reportedly seeking a multiyear deal, having hit free agency three years in a row, but this is another one-year arrangement, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com identified the Clippers as an interested party back in May, and Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers met with the Octagon Sports client soon after the start of free agency last week, as Charania reported then.
Johnson wanted to return to the Lakers, but while the potential of the former fourth overall pick apparently intrigued the purple-and-gold, his inconsistency was an issue. The Clippers have $2.088MM left on their mid-level exception after agreeing to sign Paul Pierce, but it looks like they’re preserving that instead of using it on Johnson. He’ll make $1,100,602 as a five-year veteran, though the Clippers will only be responsible for $947,276, the equivalent of the two-year veteran’s minimum, since he’s on a one-year deal.
Lakers, Suns Talk To Cavs About Brendan Haywood
The Lakers and Suns are among the teams having discussions with the Cavs about trading for Brendan Haywood and his sizable non-guaranteed contract, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio, writing for Amico Hoops. The Clippers are another, Amico writes, advancing earlier reports connecting the Cavs to Jamal Crawford. Cleveland had reportedly spoken a few days ago to the Nets about trading Haywood, and Anderson Varejao, to the Nets for Joe Johnson, but that conversation has since tailed off, and sources told Amico that Cleveland hasn’t offered Varejao to anyone in its most recent proposals. Haywood isn’t planning to retire if he’s waived, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
[RELATED: LeBron James To Re-Sign With Cavs]
Haywood’s contract, a vestige of the amnesty clause that’s worth a non-guaranteed $10,522,500 this coming season, has value to teams seeking to clear cap space or avoid luxury tax payments. Cleveland can use it in a trade that brings in as much as $5MM more, or $13,253,125 if that trade leaves the Cavs over the tax threshold. Those figures increase if Haywood is paired with someone else. Haywood’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if he remains on the roster through August 1st, so Cleveland has some time, but a limited amount of it. The 35-year-old center saw only 119 total minutes of action this past season, and, according to Amico, many around the league believe he’ll retire if he’s waived in advance of that August deadline, as seems most likely.
The Lakers appear to be using a large chunk of their cap flexibility to trade for Roy Hibbert, though they may send some salary to Indiana. The major stars are off the market, but the acquisition of Haywood, if executed with sufficient time left before August 1st, would give the Lakers another trade chip. The same would be true for the Suns, who reportedly agreed to trade Marcus Morris and two others to the Pistons in an ill-fated effort to clear cap room for LaMarcus Aldridge. Phoenix is also reportedly shopping Markieff Morris.
It’s unclear exactly what the Cavs are looking for in return for Haywood, though Amico speculates that a wing player would fit the bill, which makes sense, given the rumors linking them to Johnson and Crawford. It appeared earlier that they were looking for either a facilitating guard or a scoring point guard, but that was before they struck a deal with Mo Williams.
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Clippers Re-Sign DeAndre Jordan
2:31pm: The deal is official, the Clippers announced via press release.
THURSDAY, 9:14am: The Clippers haven’t sent out a press release or formal announcement, but they did acknowledge the move on Twitter with a photo of Jordan and the words “We’re officially centered.” Jordan put pen to paper with Relativity Sports agent Jarinn Akana present, but not Fegan, his primary agent, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). The agency has yet to provide certification of the contract, Spears notes, so it can’t yet become official. Also present when Jordan signed the contract were Rivers, Paul, Griffin and Paul Pierce, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The Mavericks never got to meet with him face-to-face, as was supposed to have been the case, Shelburne adds (on Twitter). The deal contains a 15% trade kicker, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).
11:21pm: Jordan’s deal is actually for four years, $87.6MM, with a player option after the third season, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register tweets (h/t to Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders).
10:05pm: The deal is reportedly a five-year maximum salary contract in excess of $110MM, and includes a player option for the final season, Stein tweets.
9:47pm: In what turned out to be one of the more bizarre free agency dramas in recent memory, DeAndre Jordan has reversed course and has elected to re-sign with the Clippers, Ben Bolch of The Los Angeles Times reports (Twitter link). The center had reached a verbal agreement with the Mavericks last week, but changed his mind after having time to mull over his decision. The exact length and amount of the contract are unknown, but it is almost assuredly a maximum salary arrangement. The signing cannot become official until after midnight Eastern time this evening. Mavs team owner Mark Cuban has begun to notify people within the Dallas organization that Jordan is remaining in Los Angeles, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets.
The unusual circumstances surrounding Jordan’s free agency convinced Clippers officials that they needed to remain at Jordan’s side until he is formally able to put pen to paper on a new contract, given that Jordan had already changed his mind once during the process, Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com note. Sources informed the ESPN duo that Jordan, in a meeting today at his Houston home with several teammates and top Clippers officials, indicated to the team that he intended to renege on last Friday’s commitment to sign a four-year, $80-plus million max deal with the Mavericks and return to Los Angeles instead.
There were conflicting reports regarding Jordan’s agent, Dan Fegan, that he steered the center toward the Mavs because of the close relationship Fegan has with Cuban. One of Jordan’s reasons for wanting to leave Los Angeles was his desire to have an expanded offensive role. Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers reportedly informed Jordan that he wasn’t aware of the veteran’s desire for a larger role, and the Clippers offered to hire a big man coach and increase Jordan’s number of touches on the offensive end. Jordan was apparently tired of playing third wheel behind Blake Griffin and Chris Paul. The center also reportedly didn’t see eye-to-eye with Paul, though there were conflicting reports on just how much of a factor that was in Jordan’s initial willingness to leave Los Angeles.
Jordan made 82 appearances for the Clippers last season, averaging 11.5 points, 15.0 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks in 34.4 minutes per game, with a slash line of .710/.250/.397. The big man’s numbers through seven NBA seasons are 8.0 PPG, 9.0 RPG, and 1.7 BPG, with a shooting line of .664/.125/.417.
Kings, Mavs Interested In Josh Smith
The Kings have a “very strong” interest in Josh Smith, league sources tell Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links), and the Mavs are in play for him, too, as Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops hears (Twitter link). Still, while six teams have shown interest, “nothing of substance” is in the works for Smith, a source tells Jake Fischer of SI Now (Twitter link), whose report came after the Mavs news but before the report on the Kings. Fischer last week reported that the Kings would soon begin talks with the client of Brian Dyke and Wallace Prather.
Smith has reportedly held mutual interest in re-signing with the Rockets, and he enjoys playing for Kevin McHale, notes Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Still, the Rockets have only Non-Bird rights on the forward who signed at midseason, meaning they can only give him $2,492,400, a 20% raise on the $2.077MM he saw in 2014/15, without clearing cap space or raiding the mid-level exception.
The Clippers and Smith also reportedly had mutual interest, though that surfaced before DeAndre Jordan flipped from his decision to sign with the Mavs to recommit to the Clippers instead. Thus, the Clippers only have the minimum salary to offer. The Mavs have loads of cap room that they were to spend on Jordan, while the Kings have roughly $7MM in cap space.
Magic Sign C.J. Watson
JULY 9TH, 11:18am: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
8:20pm: The final season is partially guaranteed for $1MM, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel reports.
8:57am: The Magic and Watson have reached an agreement on a three-year, $15MM deal, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (on Twitter).
JULY 4TH, 12:09am: The Magic are nearing an agreement with unrestricted free agent C.J. Watson, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). It’s unclear as to the length and amount of the arrangement the two sides are discussing, though the guard is intent on securing a deal for the mid-level exception, as J. Michael of CSNWashington.com relayed earlier this week. Watson would provide backcourt depth behind Victor Oladipo and Elfrid Payton.
Watson, 31, appeared in 57 contests for the Pacers during the 2014/15 season, averaging 10.0 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists in 24.9 minutes per night, and owned a slash line of .434/.400/.826. His career numbers are 7.8 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 2.5 APG, while shooting .425/.383/.806.
The Wizards, Clippers, and Mavericks were all reported to have interest in Watson. The point guard had expressed a desire to return to the Pacers back in April, saying, ”Hopefully I’ll be back here. I like it in Indy. I love the team and the atmosphere of the city. We’ll see what happens. It’s not really in my hands. So we’ll see.”
And-Ones: Matthews, Stoudemire, Kanter
As the drama regarding DeAndre Jordan‘s free agency decision seemingly concludes, the Mavericks can breathe easier knowing that Wesley Matthews still intends to sign with the team regardless of Jordan’s choice, Jason Quick of The Oregonian writes. Matthews reached a verbal agreement with Dallas on a sign a four-year deal worth approximately $13MM per season, and he is expected to officially sign the agreement and be introduced to the Dallas media on Thursday, the first day the NBA moratorium ends, Quick adds.
Here’s more from around the league:
- With Jordan deciding to remain with the Clippers, signing unrestricted free agent Amar’e Stoudemire will be an option for the Mavericks, Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report relays (Twitter links). Stoudemire is also strongly considering the Heat, Zwerling adds.
- There is growing speculation around the league that the Pacers will approach the Mavs about a trade for Roy Hibbert now that Dallas has missed out on Jordan, Jake Fischer of LibertyBallers tweets. That’s apparently even though Indiana has committed to trade Hibbert to the Lakers.
- With the free agent moratorium set to end on Thursday, league sources believe that restricted free agent Enes Kanter will either re-sign with the Thunder or sign an offer sheet that the team would then match, Royce Young of ESPN.com relays (Twitter link).
- Forward Livio Jean-Charles, the No. 28 overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft, won’t be joining the Spurs for the 2015/16 campaign, according to Tony Parker, Dan McCarney of The San Antonio Express-News relays. Parker is not only a potential future teammate of Jean-Charles’, but he is also the president and owner of ASVEL Basket, the French team Jean-Charles currently plays for.
- The Thunder sent the Raptors $250k as part of the trade that landed Luke Ridnour in Toronto, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
- The Celtics have a vested interest in where Jordan ends up, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com tweets. Boston owns the rights to the Dallas 2016 first-rounder from the Rajon Rondo trade, which is top seven protected. With the Mavs whiffing on signing Jordan, a blow to the team’s chances of winning this coming season, the pick becomes more valuable, as long as the Mavs don’t sink too far and end up keeping it.
Clippers Likely To Re-Sign DeAndre Jordan
9:19pm: Cuban has begun to notify people within the Mavericks organization that Jordan is remaining in Los Angeles, Stein tweets.
7:33pm: Jordan has indicated to the Clippers that he intends to remain with the team, and team representatives intend to remain with the center until he can put pen to paper on a new deal at midnight, Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com report (Twitter link).
7:13pm: At least three league sources have disputed the claim that Fegan steered Jordan to agree to sign with Dallas, Stein tweets.
5:30pm: The Mavericks are not optimistic about Jordan signing with the team, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders tweets.
2:55pm: Jordan won’t decide until he meets face-to-face with the Mavs, as Stein hears (Twitter link).
2:26pm: The idea of Fegan demanding the Clippers trade Paul “is very much not true and ridiculous,” a source told Turner (on Twitter).
2:23pm: The Clippers expect Jordan will pick them, Eaves tweets. On the Dallas side, recruiter extraordinaire Chandler Parsons will indeed be at the Mavs’ meeting with Jordan, as Amick and Zillgitt write, and as Parsons had indicated on Twitter.
1:59pm: Eaves adds that Jordan decided the Clippers were the better option once he sat back and compared their roster against that of the Mavs, according to a source (Twitter link). Ballmer is indeed in the meeting, too, Wojnarowski tweets.
1:54pm: Jordan told Rivers on Monday that he’d made a mistake, and the feeling within Jordan’s family, who want him to stay with the Clippers, is that Fegan pushed him to sign in Dallas, according to SportsCenter’s Michael Eaves. Fegan made an ultimatim to Rivers prior to Jordan’s agreement to sign with the Mavs that the Clippers would have to trade Paul to keep Jordan, a source also told Eaves (All five Twitter links here).
1:42pm: Jordan is increasingly leaning toward the Clippers, Stein and Shelburne write. Paul has been among those pushing hardest to convince the center to stay with the Clips. The Clippers believe they’ll bring Jordan back to L.A. with them tonight, Stein tweets.
12:58pm: The renewed push from the Clippers began when Jordan started having second thoughts on Monday and called Rivers, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
12:50pm: Mavs owner Mark Cuban has traveled to Houston to try to fend off the Clippers’ efforts, sources tell Stein (Twitter link).
12:48pm: Paul Pierce and J.J. Redick will be in the meeting, too, Woike tweets.
12:40pm: Jordan appears to be 50/50 on either forging ahead with his Mavs deal or re-signing with the Clippers instead, Markazi reports (on Twitter).
12:21pm: Some people within the Mavs organization are indeed concerned, as the Clippers pose a legitimate threat, according to Amick (Twitter link).
12:16pm: The Clippers felt Jordan’s representatives were pushing him to sign with Dallas, Markazi tweets. Fegan and the Mavs have long had a close working relationship.
12:07pm: It sounds like Paul will be part of the Clippers’ party traveling to Houston to meet with Jordan, tweets Dan Woike of the Orange County Register. Stein follows with a similar tweet, and it seems like the Clippers contingent will indeed get that meeting with Jordan. The Clippers expect the meeting to happen, according to Amick (Twitter link).
12:00pm: Clippers officials weren’t pleased with the way the Mavs recruited Jordan, part of the reason they’re breaking protocol and continuing to go after him, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. The Clippers weren’t pleased that Jordan had only one meeting with them while Dallas both dined and met with him, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times hears (on Twitter).
11:57pm: The Clippers have gone directly to Jordan, rather than Fegan or other representatives at Relativity Sports, as Stein wrote, and one source close to Jordan called it an underhanded maneuver, tweets Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today. The relationship between Paul and Jordan isn’t perfect, but they have spoken with each other throughout Jordan’s free agency and have a mutual respect, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
11:51am: Jordan and Griffin have already spoken, and it’s possible that Paul joins the recruitment, too, sources tell Stein. Paul and Jordan reportedly haven’t seen eye to eye, though conflicting reports make it tough to get a read on just how much of a factor that’s been in Jordan’s thinking.
11:45am: Jordan started having second thoughts early this week, as Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports indicates (on Twitter). The Clippers have been pushing to meet with Jordan today in Houston that would involve Rivers and perhaps owner Steve Ballmer, and some Clippers players have been in contact with Jordan as well, sources tell Stein for a full piece. Broussard hears that Jordan has told people close to him that since choosing Dallas, he’s still feeling “torn” and “unsure,” as Stein passes along in the same piece.
11:29am: The Clippers continue to try to convince DeAndre Jordan to sign with them, even though he’s already agreed to sign with the Mavericks, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The deal between Dallas and the Dan Fegan client can’t become official until the July Moratorium ends at 11pm Central tonight, but it would be highly unusual if Jordan were to reverse course.
The loss of Jordan would be devastating to the Clippers, who are without the cap space necessary to sign a comparable replacement for the defensive stalwart and league’s leading rebounder. Still, an about-face from Jordan would be perhaps equally damaging to the Mavs, who’ve since committed to sign four other players with the thinking that Jordan would be theirs.
Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers has told Jordan that he didn’t know he wanted a larger role, and the Clippers are offering to hire a big man coach and increase Jordan’s number of touches, according to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported June 30th that Jordan was tired of being a third wheel behind Chris Paul and Blake Griffin and wanted a larger role on offense, so Rivers should have been aware when free agency began.
Jordan has financial motivations to choose the Clippers, since they can give him 7.5% raises on the max salary he’s set to receive in his deal with Dallas, as opposed to the 4.5% raises the Mavs are limited to doling out. The Clippers can also tack a fifth year onto the deal, as opposed to the four he’s getting from the Mavs, but Jordan didn’t appear to be seeking a five-year contract.
Fegan also represents Dwight Howard, who’s indecision was a near-daily story before he signed with the Rockets two years ago. He’s also the agent for Austin Rivers, Doc’s son, who’s a free agent this summer, as Arash Markazi of ESPN.com points out (on Twitter).
Southwest Rumors: Villanueva, Gasol, Conley
The Southwest Division free agent bounty might take a hit if DeAndre Jordan indeed reverses course on his decision to sign with the Mavericks, as the Clippers are trying to convince him to do, but he’s not the only free agent the Mavs and Clippers have fought over. There’s more on that amid the latest from around the Southwest:
- Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers put in a recruiting call to Charlie Villanueva, who also spoke with Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld, as Villanueva reveals on his own website (hat tip to TNT’s David Aldridge). The forward also indicates that the Kings were in the mix, too, but Villanueva made it clear that he’s pleased to have agreed to a deal with the Mavs.
- Marc Gasol hinted that Mike Conley assured him he’ll be just as committed to re-signing with the Grizzlies next summer, when he’s a free agent, as Gasol was this year, as Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal writes in a subscription-only piece. Gasol said it never got to a point where he could envision himself playing outside of Memphis. “I was just sitting on it. I wanted to talk to Mike Conley,” Gasol said to Tillery. “Once I knew Mike Conley was on board, that sealed the deal. We both talked about the future. Once I knew he was on board it was a done deal.”
- Some people within the Spurs wondered in retrospect if the team would have been better off giving some of Manu Ginobili‘s minutes to Marco Belinelli, but Ginobili remains valuable to the team and around the league, as Buck Harvey of the San Antonio Express-News chronicles. Someone from another NBA team told Harvey that if he thought Ginobili would ever sign with a franchise other than the Spurs, his team would have pursued him. The veteran swingman has reportedly agreed to re-sign with the Spurs for what appears to be the $2.814MM room exception. Belinelli committed to the Kings.
And-Ones: Health Care, Bucks, Hollins
In other news around the league:
- California’s 13.3% state income tax, the highest in the nation by a large margin, is a factor why the Lakers and Clippers are having trouble attracting free agents and keeping their own, Tony Nitti of Forbes.com reports. No-income tax states like Texas and Florida essentially nullify any inherent advantage teams in high-tax states have in re-signing their own free agents, Nitti adds.
- Bucks president Peter Feigin urged Wisconsin lawmakers on Monday to pass legislation that would make taxpayers split the costs for a proposed $500MM arena, according to Todd Richmond of the Associated Press. Feigin told them if construction did not begin this year, the NBA would move the team, possibly to Las Vegas or Seattle, the story continues. The Bucks, who currently play in the 27-year-old Bradley Center, have been warned by the league that if they don’t have a new arena by 2017, the league will buy the team and move it, the story adds.
- Free agent center Ryan Hollins has drawn interest from the Kings and Pelicans, a source told Marc Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The Clippers are also looking at Hollins but haven’t made an offer, Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times tweets.
Heat Engage Clippers About Jamal Crawford
The Heat have reached out to the Clippers to gauge their willingness to trade Jamal Crawford, a league sources tell Chris Haynes of the Northeast Ohio Media Group, with the idea that he would provide depth and injury insurance behind Dwyane Wade. Still, a Clippers official who spoke with Haynes insists that the team is not shopping Crawford. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier that the Cavs have explored trading Brendan Haywood for Crawford and others, advancing an earlier report from The Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto of rumors linking Cleveland to Crawford.
Cleveland would be able to offer superior cap flexibility in return with Haywood’s sizable non-guaranteed deal, though Miami could offer direct roster relief to the Clippers as they reel from DeAndre Jordan‘s departure. Heat president Pat Riley has denied that he’s looking to trade Chris Andersen and Mario Chalmers, though those names keep coming up. The Clippers would probably focus on someone who could provide more production, so perhaps they’d ask for Josh McRoberts, though that’s just my speculation.
Crawford is due $5.675MM this coming season, making him still a relative bargain even coming off his fewest minutes per game since the 2002/03 season. The 35-year-old’s salary became fully guaranteed when the Clippers elected not to waive him before last week’s contract guarantee date. The Clippers were apparently exploring the idea of trading him, if not shopping him, before the draft, with one report linking him to the Nuggets.