Heat To Acquire James Ennis
11:19pm: A future second-round pick will be sent to Atlanta in the deal, tweets Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald.
11:12pm: The Heat have agreed to acquire 50th overall pick James Ennis from the Hawks, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Wojnarowski doesn't include the details of what Atlanta gets in the deal, but I'd assume it will be cash.
You can check out the full results of tonight's draft right here.
Draft Updates: Wednesday Evening
On the night before the draft, three "people of importance" in the Cavs front office have differing views on whom the team should take first overall, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. This is shaping up as one of the most compelling drafts in years with all the unknowns, even if the talent at the top is subpar. Here's the latest draft-related scuttlebutt:
- Nets GM Billy King tells Fred Kerber of the New York Post that there's "about a 60% chance" that the team will trade the No. 22 pick, perhaps in pursuit of a frontcourt player (Twitter link). The Nets are reportedly in three-way talks with the Cavs and Wolves.
- Shabazz Muhammad has at least one fan in the Wolves front office, but it isn't anyone at the top of the organization, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, who says he'll be surprised if the team takes the UCLA small forward.
- The Cavs' first preference has been to trade the No. 1 overall pick, but failing that, it looks like it's down to Nerlens Noel and Alex Len, with Anthony Bennett as a dark horse, The Plain Dealer's Mary Schmitt Boyer writes.
- The Sixers worked out second-round hopeful Dwayne Davis on Wednesday, according to Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Earlier updates:
- The Kings, Pistons and Timberwolves like Shabazz Muhammad and may draft him earlier than most executives be believe he'll go, which is between Nos. 13 and 20, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
- The Heat have been told they could possibly trade for a late lottery pick, but team president Pat Riley says if the team trades for a selection, it will be one of the early picks. "After the first 10 or 12 picks, I'm not so sure there's that player out there," Riley said, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel notes.
- Sergey Karasev wants to play in the NBA next season, so he won't be a "draft-and-stash" pick, tweets Berger, who hears Karasev may go as high as No. 12 to the Thunder. Chad Ford of ESPN.com wrote earlier today that he could go to the Sixers at No. 11.
- Several teams are trying to move up in order to draft Victor Oladipo, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy hears (Twitter link). One of those teams appears to be the Timberwolves, as Marcus Fuller of the St. Paul Pioneer Press examines.
- There's a "decent chance" the Warriors will try to trade cash for a pick in the middle of the second round, according to Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group.
- Alex Lee unveiled the latest version of the Hoops Rumors Mock Draft earlier tonight.
Heat Exercise Option On Mario Chalmers
4:32pm: The Heat have officially picked up their option on Chalmers, according to a press release from the team.
11:27am: The Heat will exercise their option to bring back Mario Chalmers for the 2013/14 season, team president Pat Riley confirmed today to reporters, including Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (Twitter link). Once the club formally picks up the option, Chalmers will be in line for a guaranteed $4MM salary in the final year of his contract.
Word came in yesterday that James Jones and Rashard Lewis have exercised their respective player options, so with Chalmers on board as well, that ensures that 12 members of this year's NBA champions remain under contract for next season. Ray Allen has a player option to decide on, while Chris Andersen and Juwan Howard will be unrestricted free agents.
Riley addressed Allen's and Andersen's situations, telling reporters that the team loves the Birdman and would like to have him back next year (Twitter link). Riley also confessed he doesn't know what Allen will decide, indicating the club will have to wait until the end of the week to find out, though he hopes the veteran sharpshooter will return (Twitter link).
Speaking generally about free agency, Riley downplayed the likelihood of the Heat being too involved, or even using their mini mid-level exception, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (Twitter link). The team is more likely to try to "cannibalize the market" in August and September, says Riley (Twitter link via Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald). The team president also suggested that the Heat are unlikely to amnesty Mike Miller this summer, according to Tomasson (Twitter link).
Odds & Ends: Fredette, Clippers, Terry, Oden
Following the hiring of Doc Rivers, the positive news keeps coming for Clippers fans. Rivers confirmed to the media today that he has spoken to Chris Paul since joining the franchise, which looks like a good sign for CP3's long-term future in Los Angeles (Twitter link via Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com). The Clippers also appear poised to add Alvin Gentry to Rivers' staff, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter). Gentry had been deciding between assistant jobs with the Clippers and Lakers.
Here's more from around the NBA:
- Despite reports to the contrary, Sam Amick of USA Today is hearing that the Kings haven't had talks about trading Jimmer Fredette. Amick adds that the new management group is willing to listen to anything, but there's no indication Fredette is being shopped or even discussed in trade talks at this point (Twitter links).
- Appearing on KRLD-FM 105.3 in Dallas, Jason Terry said he hopes to wear a Mavericks uniform again before he retires. "You know what, I wear it every night anyway," Terry said (link via Dallas Morning News). "It's my home base. I'm with the Celtics for another two years. I would be more than happy to come back and put the Mavs jersey on and come back and get back on the runway for the Mavericks."
- The Cavaliers have hired former Bucks head coach Jim Boylan to be the lead assistant on Mike Brown's staff, tweets Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Speaking to Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor acknowledged that the Trail Blazers could be a thorn in Minnesota's side as the team attempts to lock up Nikola Pekovic this summer. Re-signing Pekovic remains the club's top priority, as Walters writes.
- Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck appeared on WEEI in Boston today to address the departure of Rivers and the next steps for the C's, and Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com passed along Grousbeck's comments.
- In addition to discussing several of the team's own free agents, Heat president Pat Riley confirmed that Miami has interest in Greg Oden, as Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida outlines (via Sulia).
Southeast Notes: Bobcats, Magic, James
- The Bobcats have been involved in a few bold rumors today, and a league source tells the Charlotte Observer's Rick Bonnell that there is a slim chance Georgetown forward Otto Porter falls to them at the fourth pick in Thursday's draft.
- If the Cavaliers do not take Nerlens Noel with the number one overall pick in Thursday's draft, the Magic will make him their first round pick with the second overall selection, according to Hoopsworld.com's Alex Kennedy.
- LeBron James said his ultimate goal would be to win a string of championships with the Heat, Chris Bosh, Dwyane Wade, Erik Spoelstra, and Pat Riley. But he wouldn't close the door on his options in free agency during the summer of 2014, writes FoxSports.com's Chris Tomasson.
James Jones Exercises Player Option
Heat guard James Jones has exercised his player option for the 2013/14 season, remaining with the two-time defending champions for at least one more year, according to the team's official Twitter account.
Known solely for his ability to knock down three-point shots, other areas of Jones' game aren't seen as strengths. He played just 221 minutes last season, and only 33 in the playoffs.
James is set to make $1.5MM next season.
Rashard Lewis To Exercise Player Option
Rashard Lewis' agent, Colin Bryant, confirmed today what Lewis himself told Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld two weeks ago, telling Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (Twitter link) that the Heat forward will pick up his 2013/14 player option to remain in Miami.
Lewis' option for next season will only pay him the minimum salary for a veteran with 10+ years of experience ($1,399,507). Still, he'd probably have trouble finding more than the minimum with another club, so giving up the chance to compete for another title in Miami never really made much sense for the 33-year-old.
In his first season with the Heat, Lewis appeared in 55 games (14.4 MPG), averaging 5.2 PPG and 2.2 RPG while shooting 38.9% on three-pointers.
Odds & Ends: Bynum, Ginobili, Heat, Joerger
It's already been a busy day of news and rumors, and things don't figure to slow down anytime soon. With the draft fast approaching and free agency to follow shortly thereafter, the NBA's roster-movement season is in full swing. As we try not to let anything slip through the cracks, let's round up a few Tuesday odds and ends from around the Association:
- Free-agent-to-be Andrew Bynum has completed rehab on his knee and is set to resume basketball workouts next week, writes Dan Gelston of the Associated Press. Agent David Lee indicated there's "not a concern in the world" that Bynum will be ready for training camp, and said he expects to meet with a couple teams when free agency opens next week.
- While it appeared during the playoffs that Manu Ginobili would consider retiring this offseason, the longtime Spur wrote in Argentinian newspaper La Nacion that he can't imagine not continuing his playing career. Mike Monroe and Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News have the details.
- Asked about the opt-out clauses the Heat's Big Three have in their contracts for 2014, Dwyane Wade echoed LeBron James' comments, indicating that it wasn't something he'd seriously considered or discussed yet (link via Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald).
- Dave Joerger's contract as head coach of the Grizzlies will have at least three guaranteed years, and could end up being for four years, tweets Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- If Channing Frye were unable to play for the Suns again next season after missing last year due to a heart condition, the team would receive salary-cap relief, but Frye tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic that he's "extremely hopeful and optimistic" about his future and plans to return to action in 2013/14.
- In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman addresses the possibility of Ray Allen opting out and the Heat signing Greg Oden.
- Pelicans GM Dell Demps has met with draft prospects Ben McLemore, Anthony Bennett, and Victor Oladipo, Demps confirmed today to Jimmy Smith of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
- Glen Rice Jr., who is working out for the Bucks for a second time, and Allen Crabbe headline Milwaukee's list of workout participants today (Twitter links via the team's official PR account).
- Agent Marc Cornstein spoke to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News about Metta World Peace's decision to opt in for 2013/14.
Florida Notes: Magic, Bledsoe, Heat, Birdman
While the Heat can’t and won’t do too much to shake up their roster this summer, they do have some important decisions to make as they chase their third consecutive NBA title. Five Miami veterans in total will be eligible for free agency but there’s one in particular that is a higher priority than the others. Here’s more out of Miami and Orlando..
- Not a shocker, but Chris Andersen confirmed to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (via Twitter) that he wants to re-sign with the Heat when the free agency period kicks off on July 1st. “He put it clearly,’’ said agent Mark Bryant of his client’s stated desire to return for a three-peat next year. “(The Heat) gave him an opportunity and he absolutely wants to come back.’’ The most the Heat could pay Andersen next season is their taxpayer midlevel exception of $3.183MM. Meanwhile, the least they could pay is the veteran minimum of $1.4MM.
- The Magic‘s pursuit of Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe continues and reports of a draft day deal sending him and Caron Butler to Orlando for Arron Afflalo has legs, tweets Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. The Magic have been aggressive in looking at trades in addition to draft prospects and a Bledsoe package could be part of bigger deal (link).
- The Magic need a young point guard but it doesn’t seem like they’ll reach and take one at No. 2, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
Odds & Ends: Kobe, LeBron, Rivers, Roy, Mavs
We covered many of the pertinent points from Sam Amico's latest NBA report at FOX Sports Ohio earlier today in a post that rounded up today's Cavs rumors. But Amico's piece also features a few more notable tidbits, including word of the Blazers exploring moving up in the draft, the Bucks preparing to make a splash, and league executives beginning to believe Dwight Howard will sign with the Rockets. In addition to Amico's notes, we're hearing plenty of news and rumors from around the league, with the draft just three days away, so let's dive in….
- Although Kobe Bryant has talked in the past about possibly retiring when his current contract ends in 2014, he recently said on Brazilian television that he could see himself playing for "another three or four years." Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times has the details and a link to the video clip.
- A year from now, we could be looking forward to a sequel to The Decision, as LeBron James decides whether to exercise the 2014 opt-out in his contract with the Heat. For now though, LeBron tells CNN's Rachel Nichols that he hasn't thought about potential free agency, and will address it when the time comes (link via Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel).
- A source tells TNT's David Aldridge that Doc Rivers will have more say in the Clippers' basketball decisions than he did for the Celtics.
- While he stopped short of officially declaring his NBA career over, Brandon Roy acknowledged to ESPN.com's Kevin Pelton that it's no secret his basketball days are "numbered" (Twitter links).
- With Chris Paul seemingly on track to re-sign with the Clippers, Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com writes that the Mavericks will have to move on to their Plan B at point guard, and identifies a few possible targets.