Grizzlies Re-Sign Marc Gasol
JULY 13TH, 4:36pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
“Re-signing Marc Gasol was the No. 1 priority for our organization this offseason,” GM Chris Wallace said. “For many years, Marc has been a pillar of our franchise and in a Memphis community that has watched him become one of the best basketball players in the world, so this is a great day for our team, our city and our fans across the Mid-South and worldwide.”
JULY 6TH, 3:21pm: The Grizzlies will re-sign Marc Gasol to a five-year deal worth more than $100MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). That’s presumably the max coming Gasol’s way. The deal includes a player option after year four, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Gasol kept a degree of mystery in the proceedings, but this outcome has seemed the most likely one for months as the Spanish big man who went to high in Memphis time and again expressed his affection for the city. He was reportedly to have committed to the team a week ago, but the wait was simply a function of the big man’s methodical nature, a source tells Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
The Spurs were the team that Memphis reportedly feared the most when it came to Gasol’s free agency, and Gasol referred to San Antonio as a model franchise and expressed his admiration of Tim Duncan. Still, at about the same time, Gasol once more alluded to his strong connection to Memphis. The Arn Tellem client had no shortage of interested teams, including the Mavs, Spurs and Lakers, but he decided against meeting anyone aside from the Grizzlies.
Memphis assumes some risk as it commits to a deal that runs past Gasol’s 35th birthday, but this year’s All-NBA First Team center doesn’t show signs of slowing down yet. He focused more on offense this year than in the past, averaging career highs in points per game, with 17.4, and shots per game, with 13.2. He and fellow soon-to-be Memphis signee Brandan Wright are poised to become the first players to whom the Grizzlies have committed any salary past 2016/17, so the team will have the capacity to build a new cast around Gasol. However, Gasol’s deal essentially closes off any chance Memphis had to open cap room this summer, meaning Wright will likely stand as the Grizzlies’ most significant free agent pickup from outside the team.
Southwest Notes: Gasol, Simmons, Ginobili, Wright
The Spurs tried to lure Marc Gasol away from Memphis, but he was committed to the Grizzlies, tweets Dan McCarney of The San Antonio Express-News. Once GM R.C. Buford realized that, he turned his full attention to LaMarcus Aldridge.
There’s more from the Southwest Division:
- Jonathon Simmons‘ deal with the Spurs is fully guaranteed for next season, according to Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News (Twitter link). On Friday, Simmons signed a two-year contract for the minimum with a team option for the second season. Simmons was on Brooklyn’s bus headed to a summer league game when his agent told him of the Spurs’ offer (Twitter link).
- In a procedural move, the Spurs renounced their rights to free agent Manu Ginobili, tweets Eric Pincus of The Los Angeles Times. San Antonio will re-sign Ginobili with its $2.814MM room exception, rather than Bird Rights.
- “Love at first sight” is how Brandan Wright described his reaction to being pursued by the Grizzlies, writes Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. The free agent signed a three-year deal with the team worth about $17.1MM. “Even though we’ve had a strong frontcourt, we haven’t had a great deal of athleticism and length,” said GM Chris Wallace. “He’s a shot blocker and can score on lob passes. He provides defense, athleticism and experience.”
- The Mavericks are hoping to sign another center, tweets Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com. “It’d be nice to have someone that can play above the rim,” said owner Mark Cuban.
Southwest Notes: Parsons, Asik, Aldridge
In a candid Q&A session with Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, Mavs forward Chandler Parsons detailed the team’s recruitment of DeAndre Jordan, and expressed his disappointment with the center re-signing with the Clippers. When asked about his reaction to Jordan spurning Dallas, Parsons told MacMahon, “I’m shocked, very disappointed, frustrated, disrespected. This is something that I’ve never seen in my career, and I know that it doesn’t happen very often. When a man gives you his word and an organization his word, especially when that organization put in so much effort and I walked him through this process and was very, very open and willing to work with him, it’s just very unethical and disrespectful.”
Here’s more from the Southwest Division:
- It’s the Spurs‘ own 2016 second-rounder headed to Sacramento in the Ray McCallum trade, according to RealGM.
- The protection on the 2017 second-round pick headed from the Hawks to the Spurs in the Tiago Splitter trade is for the top 55 picks, as RealGM details.
- The four-year max deal that Wesley Matthews signed with the Mavs includes a player option after year three, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders relays (Twitter link).
- The final season in Omer Asik‘s five-year deal with the Pelicans is an early termination option. That season is partially guaranteed for $3MM, though he can end up with a larger partial guarantee if he triggers incentives, Pincus notes (Twitter links).
- The Grizzlies used the mid-level exception for their deal with Brandan Wright. Pincus pegs its value at $17.1MM, though he’s probably rounding down from $17,129,640, the full value of the mid-level over three years. Wright also has a 15% trade kicker.
- Alexis Ajinca‘s four-year deal with the Pelicans is worth $19.2MM, tweets Pincus.
- The starting salary in Patrick Beverley‘s deal with the Rockets is $6,486,486, but that’s a function of front-loading. It’s worth a total of $23MM over four years, Pincus relays (on Twitter).
- LaMarcus Aldridge has a 15% trade kicker in his max deal with the Spurs, notes Pincus (via Twitter).
- The Mavs considered trying to swing a trade for Nuggets point guard Ty Lawson before Deron Williams reached a buyout arrangement with the Nets, MacMahon tweets. Williams is expected to sign with Dallas if he clears waivers, which is highly likely given the point guard’s player-friendly contract.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Grizzlies Sign Jarell Martin
The Grizzlies have signed first-round draftee Jarell Martin to a rookie scale deal, the team announced via a press release. Martin was the No. 25 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft after being a consensus First Team All-SEC selection last season. The 21-year-old was the No. 39 ranked prospect according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.
The big man out of LSU will likely receive a salary of more than $1.230MM this season and a total of nearly $6.274MM over the course of his four-year contract, as our salary chart for 2015 first-rounders shows. These figures presume he’ll get 120% of the scale amount, which is the norm.
Martin made 33 appearances for the Tigers during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 16.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 35.1 minutes, with a slash line of .509/.269/.690. His career averages were 13.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 1.4 APG.
Grizzlies Sign Brandan Wright
JULY 9TH, 9:03am: The deal is official, the team announced.
JULY 1ST, 5:39pm: The Grizzlies have reached an agreement with free agent Brandan Wright, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The deal is for three years, and nearly $18MM, Wojnarowski adds. The Mavs, Pacers, Clippers, and Suns all had expressed interest in signing the big man.
The team will likely use the $5.464MM mid-level exception to facilitate the signing. It would also make it tougher for the Grizzlies to sign Mo Williams, with whom they’re reportedly close on a deal. It also gives Memphis insurance in case Kosta Koufos signs elsewhere.
Wright, 27, split last season between the Mavs and the Suns, who acquired him at midseason. In 40 games for Phoenix he logged 7.0 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks in 21.5 minutes per contest. His career numbers are 7.1 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and 1.0 BPG, with a slash line of .606/.000/.683.
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.
Western Notes: Gasol, Durant, Kings
Marc Gasol‘s commitment means the Grizzlies can stay relevant and contend for titles for another four or five seasons, Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal opines. Gasol did not seriously consider signing with another team before reaching an agreement on a five-year deal worth more than $100MM on Monday. Gasol showed unusual faith in the franchise and took the high road by accepting a long-term deal, Calkins continues. He could have signed a shorter-term contract and taken advantage of the major salary cap increase next season, or put the onus on the front office to keep making moves to stay competitive, but instead chose to stay long term with a team that is not in a major market, Calkins adds.
In other news around the Western Conference:
- The Warriors would like to get in on the Kevin Durant sweepstakes as a potential sign-and-trade option next summer, according to Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. If they could somehow land Durant, it would not hinder the club’s desire to lock up Stephen Curry when his contract expires in 2017, Kawakami adds.
- The Jazz were interested in re-signing Jeremy Evans but he couldn’t pass up the offer he received from the Mavericks, Jody Genessy of the Deseret News tweets. Evans, who spent his first five seasons with Utah and appeared in 38 games last season, agreed to a two-year contract with Dallas for the league minimum.
- The Kings were prepared to give Tobias Harris a max offer sheet before the restricted free agent opted to stay with the Magic, Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets. Harris agreed to a four-year, $64MM contract on Friday. Considering that Florida does not have a state income tax, Harris didn’t take less to remain in Orlando, Berman adds.
Latest On Mo Williams
The Grizzlies remain in the mix for free agent point guard Mo Williams, tweets Jared Zwerling of Bleacher Report, who adds that a source suggested the Spurs as an emergent suitor. Zwerling reported last week that a deal between Memphis and Williams was close, but a source who spoke with Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal around the same time disputed that notion.
Memphis allowed its contract guarantee date with backup point guard Beno Udrih to pass on Sunday, meaning his partial guarantee of $923K is now a full guarantee of more than $2.17MM. That means the team has two point guards locked in, with Mike Conley holding down the starting job. The Grizzlies also have point guard Russ Smith on a non-guaranteed deal that picks up a $150K partial guarantee if he remains on the roster through July 15th.
The Hornets are willing to sign-and-trade Williams, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported this weekend. That would help the Spurs, who are unlikely to have more than the $2.814MM room exception to spend on Williams in a straight-up signing, as well as the Grizzlies, who’ll likely be spending their $5.464MM mid-level to accommodate their deal with Brandan Wright. Williams and the Cavs, who have their $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level to spend, reportedly have mutual interest.
Southwest Notes: Villanueva, Udrih, Conley
It’s a good bet that Charlie Villanueva will end up back with the Mavericks on a deal for the minimum salary, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. MacMahon wrote last month that the Mavs would welcome him back if he were to play for that amount, and Villanueva has spoken of his desire to play for coach Rick Carlisle again. There’s plenty more from the Southwest Division, where all five teams made the playoffs this past season even before the summer’s two most talked–about free agents agreed to go there:
- Beno Udrih‘s full salary of more than $2.17MM is guaranteed since he remained on the Grizzlies roster through Sunday. It had been partially guaranteed for only $923K, as the schedule of salary guarantee dates shows.
- Mike Conley triggered a $200K bonus because the Grizzlies went to the second round of the playoffs this past season, so his cap figure for this coming season goes up by that amount, bringing it to $9,588,426, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
- Rockets draft-and-stash point guard Sergio Llull has signed an extension with Real Madrid of Spain that runs until 2021, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). Llull rejected reported overtures from Houston to join the NBA for this coming season, though his new deal does include a lower NBA buyout.
- The Mavs will soon announce the hiring of Nick Van Exel as the team’s D-League coach, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
- Pelicans free agent Jimmer Fredette is mulling an offer from Italy’s Olimpia Milano, sources tell Paola De Persis of Sportando. Fredette would nonetheless prefer to stay in the NBA, De Persis notes.
Pacific Notes: Lakers, Stoudemire, Hollins, Rivers
The agreement to trade for Roy Hibbert caps another dismal free agent season for the Lakers, according to Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. L.A. passed on Jahlil Okafor in the draft because team officials were confident they could land a big man through free agency, he writes. But LaMarcus Aldridge, DeAndre Jordan and Greg Monroe all chose to go elsewhere. Bresnahan notes that the pattern of free agents turning down the Lakers began with Dwight Howard two years ago and has included Carmelo Anthony and Pau Gasol.
There’s more news from the Pacific Division:
- Outside of money, the Lakers don’t have much to offer free agents, writes J.A. Adande of ESPN.com. That was evidenced by the team’s disastrous first presentation to Aldridge, which reportedly focused more on the off-court advantages of Los Angeles than on basketball matters, Adande claims. Teams need to have good players to attract great players, he states, and the Lakers are struggling to reach the first step.
- Amar’e Stoudemire was expected to speak with Clippers President of Basketball Operations Doc Rivers Saturday, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The forward has interest in several teams, including the Clippers, Mavericks and Pacers, Wojnarowski adds. The Clippers have roughly $2.2MM in exception space left to sign a player beyond the league minimum.
- The Clippers have had conversations about bringing Ryan Hollins back, according to Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link). Hollins played for Doc Rivers when he coached in Boston as well as in his first season as the coach of the Clippers.
- Austin Rivers will probably be a late signing for the Clippers, according to Gary Washburn of The Boston Globe. Los Angeles has limited Bird Rights on the free agent guard and can offer up to $3,110,796MM per season, which Washburn speculates will be the best he receives in a shrinking market.
- Justin Holiday is unlikely to return to the Warriors, Washburn writes in the same story. The free agent guard will probably leave the defending champs to seek more playing time.
- In addition to the Kings‘ max offer, Tobias Harris also received interest from the Celtics, Pistons, Pelicans and Grizzlies, among others, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders tweets. The Lakers and Knicks were not among the teams to reach out to Harris, Kennedy adds (Twitter link).
Arthur Hill contributed to this post.