And-Ones: Calderon, Davis, Sullinger
Knicks big man Kyle O’Quinn says the team’s offseason moves should translate into a playoff berth in 2016/17, Marc Berman of The New York Post relays. “I’m excited about every year, but this year it looks so clear,’’ O’Quinn told Berman. “A lot of people will put us in there. It’ll be a different element in training camp instead of being a startup trying to shock the world. We made a lot of changes and it looks like the playoffs, but you got to put the work in.”
Here’s the latest from around the NBA:
- The Bulls and Sixers had discussions about Philly acquiring Jose Calderon, but the two sides were unable to reach a deal and the point guard was traded to the Lakers instead, David Aldridge of NBA.com tweets.
- Several teams are looking to clear cap room to make a run at Bucks restricted free agent Miles Plumlee, Aldridge tweets.
- Unrestricted free agent Glen Davis, who sat out last season after undergoing surgery to repair torn ligaments, a cyst, and bone spurs in his left ankle, has resumed basketball activities and is looking to catch on with an NBA club, Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated tweets.
- The Celtics face a tough decision regarding restricted free agent Jared Sullinger, with the team in need of his rebounding, but not in the position to match a large offer sheet by another team, were the big man to sign one this offseason, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPN.com.
- The Hawks are still actively trying to improve the team and are looking to add another frontcourt player and a point guard, Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal Constitution notes. One big man option for Atlanta could be Kris Humphries, who expressed a desire to return during his exit interview with the team, Vivlamore adds.
- Clippers guard C.J. Wilcox will have surgery to repair a broken right hand on Friday, the team announced. Wilcox was given a timeline of four-to-six weeks before he will be able to return to basketball-related activities, according to the team.
- The Lakers are pleased with what they have seen in summer league play from 2016 lottery pick Brandon Ingram, Joey Ramirez of NBA.com writes. “I’m very excited about what he can do,” coach Luke Walton said. “Obviously he’s young and there’ s a lot of work to do. This is a grown man’s league. But as far as knowing how to play the game and the skill set of being able to handle the ball, bring it up, post up, his defense — he’s been all over the place defensively, getting deflections for us — I’m very excited about the way he’s played so far.”
Dwyane Wade Rumors: Wednesday
A handful of updates on Dwyane Wade‘s situation were reported on Tuesday, including the fact that he has canceled his meeting with the Bucks, scheduled a meeting with the Nuggets, and received a contract offer in the two-years, $50MM range from Denver. Wade is said to be seeking a deal in that neighborhood, or something with a guaranteed third year.
Here are Wednesday’s latest updates and rumors on Wade, one of the top free agents left on the market:
7:52pm:
Wade is pushing for a resolution on his future tonight and it’s likely between Miami, Chicago or Denver, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical tweets. The scribe adds via Twitter that Pat Riley would like an answer tonight and if Wade isn’t returning, Riley would move fast on other options.
7:31pm:
- Wade is very much open to leaving the Heat after hearing pitches from other teams today, sources tell Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link).
6:35pm:
- The Bulls feel Wade is serious about joining their team and they have been in contact with other teams in an attempt to unload contracts, Wojnarowski reports (Twitter links). Jose Calderon and Mike Dunleavy are the two players that Chicago would like to move. Wojnarowski (Twitter link) adds that the team’s canceled meeting has bearing on his status.
- The Bucks‘ meeting with Wade went for over an hour and Wade spoke highly of the team’s young roster, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel passes along (Twitter links). Gardner adds that the Bucks still do not have the cap space to accommodate a Wade deal, so he doesn’t expect the 33-year-old to sign with the franchise. However, David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link) hears that the team believes Wade is “very serious” about joining Milwaukee.
- Wade’s meeting with the Heat ended without a deal, Zach Lowe of ESPN.com tweets and according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (Twitter link), his status remains up in the air.
- Wade will co-host ABC’s Live with Kelly on Thursday morning and Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link) wonders if the shooting guard will make his announcement then.
1:52pm:
- Wade’s meetings with the Nuggets and Bucks are now complete, with the Heat set to finish out the day. The Bulls had been scheduled to meet with Wade today as well, but the team has cancelled the sit-down after its flight kept getting delayed, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Wojnarowski adds that if Wade has serious interest in Chicago, the club could travel to meet with him on Thursday.
12:46pm:
- The Nuggets were “very happy” with how their Wade meeting went, league sources tell Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post (Twitter link). Denver is now waiting for the guard to meet with his other suitors and make a decision.
- After meeting with the Nuggets, Wade is sitting down with Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, says Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter links), who also confirms that Heat owner Micky Arison will get a sit-down with Wade later in the day.
11:30am:
- Wade’s meetings in New York are underway – with the Nuggets going first (Twitter link) – and a decision on his future could happen as soon as Wednesday night, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Wojnarowski adds that the exact amount of Denver’s offer to Wade is $52MM for two years.
Latest On Dwyane Wade
10:03pm: Wade has a meeting scheduled on Wednesday with Nuggets officials that will take place in New York, Wojnarowski tweets.
7:34pm: The Nuggets have offered Wade a contract worth more than $50MM over two years, Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets. Denver is holding out hope that the veteran shooting guard will accept its bid, the scribe adds.
12:37pm: Wade’s representatives have told teams that their client is seeking a two-year, $50MM contract, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, adding that the Nuggets and Bulls continue to stay in touch with Wade, who is also talking to the Heat. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, meanwhile, reports that the veteran star is prioritizing a guaranteed third year in contract talks. Either way, it sounds like a two-year, $40MM offer won’t get it done.
The Bucks currently aren’t involved in the bidding for Wade, and while there have been rumors about the Cavs, there’s no traction between Wade and Cleveland at this point, according to Windhorst. Per Wojnarowski, the Bulls and Wade have talked about setting up a face-to-face meeting but nothing has been scheduled.
As for the Heat, Ira Winderman of The South Florida Sun Sentinel tweets that they seem to want to hold firm on two years for Wade, even though they may be willing to include a player option and do another two-year deal next summer.
10:58am: Dwyane Wade has canceled a previously-scheduled Wednesday meeting with the Bucks, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link). Lowe’s report follows up on a tweet from ESPN’s Brian Windhorst, which suggests that Wade has canceled more than one free agent meeting. However, it’s not clear what other team(s) had been set to meet with the veteran guard.
Despite the fact that Wade played his college ball at Marquette, it always seemed like a long shot that he’d seriously consider signing with the Bucks this offseason after spending his entire career in Miami. After Kevin Durant opted not to sign with the Heat, Miami reportedly increased its offer to Wade to two years and $40MM, getting a little more serious about negotiations with the former Finals MVP. Although he didn’t accept that offer, Wade’s decision to cancel his meeting with the Bucks may hint that he and the Heat are moving closer to finding common ground.
Outside of Milwaukee and Miami, several teams have been linked to Wade since free agency began, including the Nuggets, Knicks, Bulls, and Mavericks. Of those teams, only Denver still had the cap space to pursue Wade. There has also been speculation that the Cavaliers could have interest in LeBron James‘ former teammate, though those whispers have been unsubstantiated. Even if Cleveland did explore that possibility, the team would have to trade multiple contracts in order to be able to offer Wade a decent salary.
Heat Offer Dwyane Wade Two-Year, $40MM Deal
With Kevin Durant no longer in play, the Heat have shifted their focus back to their own veteran star. According to Dan Le Batard (Twitter link), Miami has put a two-year, $40MM offer on the table for Dwyane Wade. The proposal, which has been confirmed by multiple outlets, includes a player option for year two.
Wade has been shopping around for other offers so far this month, unhappy with how initial talks with the Heat had played out. However, Miami has remained the favorite to sign Wade, and now the team appears to be getting a little more serious in negotiations, with Hassan Whiteside locked up and Durant headed to Golden State.
The Bucks, one of Wade’s rival suitors, have a meeting in New York lined up with the veteran guard for Wednesday, according to Charles F. Gardner of The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). The Nuggets are also reportedly in the hunt for Wade, but the Heat would probably like to ensure that the former Finals MVP doesn’t take any meetings.
As cap expert Albert Nahmad notes (via Twitter), based on their current projected space, the Heat could offer Wade a deal worth $39MM+ and still match Tyler Johnson‘s offer sheet. If Wade wants more than that, and Miami is willing to oblige, the team would have to renounce, trade, or waive at least one other player. The Heat could also improve their offer to Wade by adding a third year.
Heat Notes: Johnson, Wade, Haslem, McRoberts
The poison-pill contract that the Nets offered to Tyler Johnson will be difficult for Miami to match, writes Manny Navarro of The Miami Herald. Johnson will receive $50MM over for years, but the deal is heavily backloaded so that most of the money comes in the third and fourth seasons. The payout is $5.628MM in the first season and $5,881,260 in the second, followed by $18,858,765 in season three and $19,631,975 in season four. The Heat already have $70.3MM committed for the 2018/19 season among Chris Bosh, Hassan Whiteside and Goran Dragic. Miami will also need cap space in those years to keep Justise Winslow and Josh Richardson. Heat officials will have three days to make their decision once Johnson signs his deal with Brooklyn, but Whiteside and Richardson have already posted farewell messages on social media (Twitter links).
There’s more tonight out of Miami:
- The Bucks will meet with Dwyane Wade sometime after the Fourth of July, tweets ESPN’s Marc Stein. Wade began looking at other teams after being unhappy with Miami’s initial contract offer. Milwaukee doesn’t have room to sign Wade to the deal he wants, but it could if it finds a taker for Greg Monroe (Twitter link).
- If the Heat give approximately $20MM to Wade and don’t land Kevin Durant, they will have to fill the roster with a $2.9MM room exception and minimum contracts, writes Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. Most of the room exception may be needed to re-sign Udonis Haslem. Miami hasn’t pursued Gerald Green since free agency began, but he could become an option if there’s nobody better at a minimum salary. The team appears to have no interest in bringing back Dorell Wright.
- Miami may want to think twice about sacrificing Josh McRoberts for cap room, writes Ira Winderman of The Sun-Sentinel. The Heat may have to move his nearly $5.8MM salary for 2016/17 to create enough cap space to meet Wade’s demands, but if they keep the veteran big man, he might be the starter at power forward next season if Bosh isn’t healthy.
At Least Four Teams Pursuing Dwyane Wade
With teams around the league sensing that there’s tension between Dwyane Wade and the Heat, a handful of clubs are pushing to lure the veteran guard away from Miami, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Wojnarowski reports that the Bulls, Mavericks, Nuggets, and Bucks are courting Wade, with multiple multiyear offers in the $20MM-per-year range on the table for the Heat star.
Wojnarowski suggests that the Heat have been reluctant to offer a deal in the $20MM range so far, and Jason Lieser of The Palm Beach Post echoes that sentiment, tweeting that Miami’s opening offer was closer to $10MM. While the Heat will probably willing to increase that offer eventually, especially if Kevin Durant doesn’t choose Miami, it still makes sense that Wade would explore the market. Even if he doesn’t sign elsewhere, there’s so much cap space available around the league that he could improve his leverage by fielding offers from other teams.
Earlier tonight, we heard that the Bucks and Knicks were looking to set up meetings with Wade, and while Wojnarowski confirms Milwaukee’s interest, he doesn’t mention New York. ESPN’s Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that the Knicks have made a four-year offer to Courtney Lee, and the club is also reportedly in the mix for Eric Gordon, so Wade may be a backup plan for Phil Jackson‘s club.
As for Milwaukee, Wojnarowski suggests that the Bucks don’t currently have the cap space to make Wade a competitive offer, and the team isn’t sure whether to fully commit to pursuing him. While Wade did attend Marquette University, it’s still hard to imagine him returning to Milwaukee at this stage in his career.
Meanwhile, K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune confirms (via Twitter) that the Bulls are in talks with Wade’s reps, adding that the two sides are discussing a two-year deal. According to Wojnarowski, Chicago and Denver have been the most aggressive suitors for Wade so far.
Finally, the Mavericks may be a long shot to add Wade, but after missing out on their top two targets – Hassan Whiteside and Mike Conley – it makes sense that they’d at least kick the tires on other top-tier free agents.
Latest On Dwyane Wade
7:08pm: Wade is in contract talks with the Knicks and Bucks, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Wade has a meeting scheduled with the Bucks that will take place sometime next week, Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports on Twitter. A meeting with the Knicks could take place next week as well, Windhorst adds.
Sources tell Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that Wade wants to be compensated for the pay cuts he took in Miami. The Heat remain optimistic about bringing Wade back and their plan is not to replace him with Durant should the 2013/14 MVP sign with Miami. If that happens, the team would look to trade Goran Dragic and Josh McRoberts in an attempt to financially take care of Wade.
The Knicks likely won’t have the cap space necessary to provide Wade with his desired contract, after agreeing to sign Joakim Noah to a four-year, $72MM deal, as Sam Amick of USA Today tweets. Of course, Noah’s deal won’t be finalized until after the moratorium, so the possibility of the big man agreeing to take less with the intent of bringing Wade to New York exists.
Wade seems like a strange fit for the Bucks, but he did play his college basketball at nearby Marquette University. Still, after agreeing to sign both Matthew Dellavedova and Mirza Teletovic, Milwaukee will likely have to make a corresponding move to offer Wade a sizable contract.
9:26am: Dwyane Wade‘s contract standoff with the Heat has given other teams hope of signing him, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. Several GMs believe the situation in Miami is becoming serious and have submitted multi-year offers to Wade’s representatives. Some are planning phone calls with Wade today in an effort to get him to end his 13-year association with the Heat (Twitter link).
Miami has been unable to give Wade a firm offer because of the uncertainty surrounding free agent center Hassan Whiteside and the team’s pursuit of Thunder free agent Kevin Durant. The Heat resolved the Whiteside situation early this morning when the parties agreed on a four-year maximum deal. They will meet with Durant on Sunday.
It was reported earlier this week that Wade became frustrated after his initial talks with Miami and instructed his agents to contact the Spurs and Mavericks about his possible availability. Wade also had contentious talks with the Heat last summer before agreeing to a one-year deal worth $20MM. The 34-year-old averaged 19.0 points, 4.1 rebounds and 4.6 assists in 74 games this season.
Bucks Sign Mirza Teletovic
JULY 8: The Bucks have formally announced their deal with Teletovic, via a team release.
JULY 1: The Bucks and unrestricted free agent Mirza Teletovic have reached an agreement on a multiyear contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). The proposed deal is for three years and $30MM, Stein adds. Michael Scotto of The Associated Press tweets that the contract won’t contain any player or team options.
In Teletovic, Milwaukee adds a badly needed stretch-four to its rotation, an area the team was reportedly determined to address this offseason. It’s doubtful Teletovic will be a starter, but he should be a valuable piece off the bench while allowing 2016 first-rounder Thon Maker more time to develop.
The 30-year-old appeared in 79 games for the Suns this past season and averaged a career-high 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.3 minutes per contest. Teletovic connected on 42.7% of his field goal attempts overall, while knocking down 39.3% of his three-pointers, which was a career-best.
RFA Rumors: Dellavedova, Waiters, T. Johnson
Earlier tonight, we heard that the Warriors plan to retain restricted free agent Harrison Barnes if they’re unable to land Kevin Durant. Here are several more updates on RFAs around the league:
- The Kings, Hawks, Mavericks, and Bucks have all reached out to Matthew Dellavedova‘s camp early in free agency, league sources tell Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com. Dellavedova is in Australia preparing for the 2016 Olympics, so he’s unlikely to have face-to-face meetings with any suitors anytime soon, but it sounds like he’s interested in exploring his options. A return to the Cavaliers remains in play for the RFA guard, but it’s possible the price will get too high for Cleveland’s liking, Haynes writes.
- Dion Waiters‘ representatives fielded interest from the Kings, Nets, Sixers, Bulls, Heat, and Thunder tonight, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Oklahoma City extended a qualifying offer to Waiters earlier this week, making him a restricted free agent and giving the Thunder the right of first refusal.
- On The Vertical’s free agency broadcast earlier tonight, Adrian Wojnarowski reported that Tyler Johnson has received interest from a handful of teams, including the Nets and Pelicans, and is expected to begin taking meetings on Friday (Twitter links via Scott Kushner of The Advocate and Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. The restricted free agent guard, who got a qualifying offer from the Heat, could earn up to $10MM annually, per Wojnarowski (Twitter link via Brian Lewis of the New York Post).
Bucks To Extend John Hammond’s Contract
The Bucks and GM John Hammond have agreed to a one-year contract extension, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter links). The extension will run through the 2017/18 campaign, notes Wojnarowski. The dollar value of the arrangement is not yet known.
Milwaukee hired Justin Zanik as GM-in-waiting earlier this month and this extension will allow Hammond to work alongside the new executive and smooth the transition, Wojnarowski writes. Hammond will remain with the organization as a consultant after he steps down as GM, the scribe adds. The Bucks recently signed coach Jason Kidd to a three-year, $16.5MM extension of his own.
Hammond has been GM of the Bucks since 2008 and the franchise has gone 273-367 under his watch in the regular season and 5-12 in the postseason. During his tenure he won the 2009/10 Executive of the Year award, which was the only season under Hammond that the team has finished the year over .500.