Lakers Eyeing LeBron, Carmelo For 2014
The Lakers may not have landed their top target in 2013 free agency, but they're already planning to aim high again in 2014. According to Ramona Shelburne and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, the Lakers are eyeing LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony, who both have the opportunity to opt out of their respective contracts next summer.
The fact that the Lakers will be targeting the top free agents on the market doesn't come as any surprise, considering the team only has two players (Steve Nash and Robert Sacre) on its books beyond this season. The Lakers have frequently been cited as a potential suitor for LeBron, along with the Heat and Cavaliers, while plenty of outlets have speculated recently that L.A. will pursue Carmelo.
Whether the Lakers actually have a good chance to sign either player is another issue altogether. Shelburne's and Windhorst's sources have divided opinions on how likely either superstar is to make the jump to Los Angeles, with one source calling it "realistic" while another says it's "far-fetched at this point." According to ESPN.com's sources, LeBron isn't even considering his options for next summer yet, so it's impossible to handicap the odds right now.
"It's all wishful thinking at this point," said the league source. "Teams are doing more wishing than LeBron is wanting right now."
In order to have room for two maximum-salary players, the Lakers would need Kobe Bryant to take a significant pay cut, an idea Kobe didn't seem overly enthusiastic about when he was asked recently. However, if the possibility of landing an elite player or two becomes more realistic, I'd expect Kobe to reconsider that stance when the time comes.
Lakers Sign Nick Young
JULY 16TH, 10:36am: Young's deal with the Lakers is actually a two-year pact, with a player option in year two, reports Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times. Since it's a minimum-salary contract, the option is worth the minimum as well.
JULY 11TH, 6:35pm: The Lakers have officially signed Young, the team announced today (via Twitter).
5:17pm: According to USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt, Young's deal with the Lakers is for one year and $1.11MM, which is the veteran's minimum for a player entering his seventh year of NBA service.
4:14pm: Nick Young has agreed to sign with the Lakers, according to agent Mark Bartelstein (Twitter link via Sam Amick of USA Today). Considering Los Angeles has already committed its mini mid-level exception to Chris Kaman and can't acquire players via sign-and-trade, Young will presumably sign a minimum-salary deal.
Young, 28, averaged 10.6 PPG with a .413 FG% in 2012/13 with the Sixers. Prior to playing in Philadelphia, Young had spent most of the rest of his six-year NBA career with the Wizards. Although he had a brief stint with the Clippers in 2011/12, the USC product "will be with the team he always dreamed of playing for" when he officially signs with the Lakers, according to Bartelstein.
While Young isn't a particularly efficient player (12.8 career PER), he'll provide some much-needed scoring for a Lakers team that's expected to open the season without Kobe Bryant. Assuming the contract is for one year and the minimum, which seems likely given the club's cap constraints and desire to avoid adding long-term salary, Young could provide a good return on the Lakers' investment.
Lakers Sign Wesley Johnson
MONDAY, 3:30pm: The Lakers have officially signed Johnson, the team announced today in a press release.
SUNDAY, 12:09am: The Lakers agreed to a one-year deal with shooting guard Wesley Johnson, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The fourth pick in the 2010 draft signed for the veteran's minimum, which is about $916K for a player with Johnson's experience.
The 6'7" Johnson played for the Suns last season and averaged 8.0 PPG in 19.1 MPG. Johnson was drafted by the Timberwolves and played limited minutes with the Wolves through his first two seasons.
According to our Agency Database, Johnson is represented by Landmark Sports Agency, Inc. Bresnahan mentions, via Twitter, that Johnson's length allows him to play a little small forward as well as his more natural shooting guard position.
Pacific Notes: World Peace, Odom, Kings
Metta World Peace was officially amnestied by the Lakers on Thursday, and remains on amnesty waivers, rather than regular waivers–instead of claiming his entire salary, teams can now place partial bids for his services, with the highest bid winning out. Here's the full explanation of the amnesty provision, and this year's amnesty primer.
Doug Davis, one of a pair of agents for the former Ron Artest, suggested that his client's assertion that he may leave the NBA should be taken with a grain of salt, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. World Peace doesn't want to uproot his family, so the Clippers appear to be his first choice among NBA teams, but Knicks coach Mike Woodson said the team is "on alert" in case World Peace clears amnesty waivers.
"There’s a number of definitely positive things about New York," Davis said. "Hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to assess them [Sunday] after he clears waivers. It’s a very tense time, this 48-hour period. We want him to be in control of his own destiny."
Here's what else is happening around the Pacific Division on this Saturday in the midst of amnesty week:
- The Clippers continue to eye free agent big men Lamar Odom and Antawn Jamison, but sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that the team is taking it slow as it determines the best fit (Twitter link).
- Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times examines whether the Lakers should attempt to avoid paying the luxury tax this season.
- The Kings have renounced their rights to Toney Douglas, who already has an agreement in place with the Warriors, according to the RealGM transactions log. The Kings also renounced their rights to Cole Aldrich.
- And the Kings officially announced in a press release that rookie Ben McLemore had been signed: "The Sacramento Kings today signed first-round draft pick Ben McLemore to a contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. Sacramento selected McLemore with the seventh-overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed."
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Nuggets Among Teams Eyeing Nate Robinson
4:21pm: The Wizards, Bucks, Mavericks and Lakers have also shown interest in Robinson, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets. The Lakers and Mavs have signed a few other guards in recent days, prompting Kennedy to wonder if they're still in on Robinson (Twitter link).
2:33pm: The Nuggets are letting it be known that they have "certifiable interest" in Nate Robinson, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Robinson, who spent last season on a minimum-salary contract with the Bulls, has been linked to the Knicks, Wolves, Pacers at various points this month. The Bulls, under financial constraints, offered him another minimum-salary deal to return, but it seems clear that won't be happening. Coach Tom Thibodeau would have reservations about bringing him back anyway, as Stein notes in a second tweet.
The explosive 5'9" guard had moments of brilliance in the postseason, scoring 34 points in a game against the Nets, but showed his inconsistency as well, delivering a scoreless, 0-for-12 performance in Game Four of Chicago's series with the Heat. Still, when I examined his free agent stock, I thought the Aaron Goodwin client would merit an annual salary in the range of the the $3.183MM taxpayer's mid-level exception.
Denver let go of Andre Iguodala this summer, but with J.J. Hickson and Randy Foye coming aboard, the team still figures to be capped out. That means the team could offer Robinson a part of the larger non-taxpayer's mid-level, though with the Bulls, Knicks and Pacers probably out of the running and limited chatter about the Wolves or other suitors, it could be that the Nuggets wind up with Robinson for little more than the minimum salary. They'd still need to use either the mid-level or the biannual exception to give him that, but they'd preserve flexibility for another addition.
Robinson, a 40.5% three-point shooter last season, would add long-distance shooting to a Denver team that missed that element in 2012/13. He can play either guard position, but his lack of height could be a problem against taller shooting guards, so the team's interest in him lends further credence to the idea that backup point guard Andre Miller is on the trading block.
Atlantic Notes: Humphries, Wallace, Peace, Nets
Yesterday, the Nets and Celtics officially completed the nine-player swap that will send Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to the land of the hipsters. However, two of the players shipped to Boston may not be long for the C's. A source tells A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com that the club may look to flip Kris Humphries and Gerald Wallace. Humphries, who is coming off of a rough 2012/13 season, makes $12MM in the final year of his deal. Wallace, meanwhile, makes more than $30MM over the next three seasons and moving that contract won't be easy by any means. Here's more out of the Atlantic..
- Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni thinks that the recently amnestied Metta World Peace would be a good fit for the Knicks, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post. D'Antoni went on to say that amnestying him was purely about finances and had nothing to do with character.
- Not a huge surprise, but Nets General Manager Billy King confirmed that owner Mikhail Prokhorov reached out to Andrei Kirilenko by telephone before he signed, tweets Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press. Kirilenko shocked everyone when he agreed to sign with the Nets for the $3.1MM mini-mid level exception earlier this week.
- With speculation that the Nets made an under-the-table agreement with Kirilenko, they are now the bad guys of the NBA, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.
Western Notes: World Peace, Kings, Young, Pek
Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni told Marc Berman of the New York Post that the team's decision to amnesty Metta World Peace was purely financial.
"Obviously it’s a byproduct of the CBA," D’Antoni said. "As a person and player, I couldn’t find anyone better. He’s great. I enjoyed coaching him. I hope he finds something great. He deserves it. It’s not the coaches. It’s management. They have to manage the cap."
The former Ron Artest probably won't be heading back to Sacramento, with the Kings not planning to place a bid through amnesty waivers, according to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (on Twitter). While World Peace contemplates a future with another L.A. team, the Lakers have turned their attention elsewhere, and we cover that and other news out of the Western Conference:
- Nick Young's minimum-salary pact with the Lakers is only for one year, but GM Mitch Kupchak suggested that the 28-year-old is a part of the team's long-term plans, as Dave McMenamin passes along (Twitter link). "Although it's a short contract, we hope he would be here for a very long time," Kupchak said.
- Talks between the Wolves and Nikola Pekovic are still going on, but they're moving slowly, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, who figures they'll drag on into next week, at least. President of basketball ops Flip Saunders characterizes the negotiations as "progressing," Zgoda observes in another tweet.
- Saunders also indicated that the Wolves aren't planning another major move this summer. "What you see is what you get," he said, as Zgoda notes via Twitter.
- The Warriors' ambitions of opening a San Francisco arena by 2017 seemed far-fetched in the beginning, and it's becoming clear that the building won't be ready until 2018 at the earliest, as Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group details.
World Peace Not Interested In NBA For 2013/14?
8:00pm: There are still indications that World Peace would have interest in joining a contending team in the NBA if he clears amnesty waivers, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. The veteran appears intent on becoming a free agent rather than being claimed, Amick adds, pointing out that World Peace would forfeit his salary from the Lakers if a team claims him and he fails to report to camp. The Clippers have overtaken the Knicks as the top team on World Peace's list of preferred destinations, but both clubs appear to have interest in signing the man formerly known as Ron Artest, even though they can only offer the minimum salary.
4:21pm: Metta World Peace is now officially on amnesty waivers, meaning teams with cap space are allowed to place partial bids during the next two days. If more than one team places a claim, the highest bidder will land World Peace, assuming a portion of his salary. If there are no bidders, the man formerly known as Ron Artest becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Considering under-the-cap teams – many of them non-contenders – have the opportunity to claim World Peace without his say, we should probably take any comments he makes over the next couple days with a grain of salt. But according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com and Shahan Ahmed of NBC Los Angeles, the ex-Laker told the duo that he's not interested in playing in the NBA in 2013/14. The 33-year-old's top choice is to play in China, while his other potential options include coaching with an NBA team, or playing arena football (Twitter links).
Again, with World Peace at the mercy of the waiver system, it's reasonable to assume that he may be trying to scare off non-contenders from claiming him. If he were to become an unrestricted free agent, he'd be able to sign with any team besides the Lakers, and he reportedly has interest in joining the Knicks, among others.
Howard Beck of the New York Times noted earlier today (via Twitter) that World Peace wouldn't officially be placed on waivers until 4:00pm CST today, so the bidding period will end on Sunday afternoon.
Lakers Sign Chris Kaman
FRIDAY, 3:49pm: The Lakers have formally announced the Kaman signing, making it official.
MONDAY, 3:40pm: Kaman will get the Lakers' mini mid-level exception, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). Assuming Kaman receives the full amount of the exception, he'll earn a one-year salary of $3,182,700.
3:13pm: The Lakers and free agent big man Chris Kaman have agreed to terms on a one-year contract, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).
Because they're an over-the-cap team, the Lakers can only sign free agents using the mini $3.18MM mid-level exception or the minimum-salary exception. Coming off a one-year, $8MM deal with the Mavericks, Kaman will presumably sign for more than the veteran's minimum, but the terms of the deal have yet to be reported.
It goes without saying that Kaman wasn't the Lakers' top target among free agent centers this summer, but the 31-year-old remains relatively productive. In 66 contests for the Mavericks last season, he averaged 10.5 PPG and 5.6 RPG in just 20.7 MPG. The Landmark Sports client also shot 50.7% from the floor and recorded a 16.3 PER.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported yesterday that there was mutual interest between the Lakers and Kaman.
Lakers Re-Sign Robert Sacre
FRIDAY, 8:59am: Larry Coon of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Sacre's minimum-salary contract will actually be for three years, rather than two, though only the first two years are guaranteed.
WEDNESDAY, 1:29pm: Sacre will get a fully guaranteed, multiyear deal from the Lakers, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com (via Twitter). I'd expect it to be for the minimum salary, but that's still a little unexpected, considering Sacre's limited role and the Lakers' reluctance to add guaranteed salary for 2014/15.
1:15pm: The Lakers have re-signed 2012 second-round pick Robert Sacre, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter). The team had extended a qualifying offer to Sacre in June, so I wouldn't be surprised if the 24-year-old simply accepted that one-year offer, worth $988,872.
During his rookie season in 2012/13, Sacre split time between the Lakers and the D-League's D-Fenders. In 32 NBA games, the seven-footer averaged 1.3 PPG and 0.8 RPG, appearing in just 6.3 minutes per contest. In his seven D-League appearances, Sacre's averages increased to 11.4 PPG, 8.4 RPG, and 32.7 MPG.