Odds & Ends: Bledsoe, Jennings, Janning, Collins
LeBron James is the odds-on favorite to win this year's MVP trophy (again) but who is in the hunt for the MIP award? Joel Brigham of HoopsWorld ran down this year's candidates for Most Improved Player, starting with newly-acquired Suns guard Eric Bledsoe. Even if he doesn't start at the beginning of the season, Brigham expects him to carve out a significant role for himself by the end of the 2013/14 campaign. Here's more from around the Association..
- Even though this season might not be a landmark one for the Bucks, they're finally on the right path after purging themselves of Brandon Jennings' ego, opines Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel.
- Former D-Leaguer Matt Janning has an NBA out clause in his new contract with Croatia's Cibona Zagreb, according to Sportando. The guard signed a multi-year deal with the Suns in 2010 after going undrafted but wound up getting cut in November before he ever appeared in a game.
- In his weekend mailbag, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes that he expects to see Jason Collins land a deal before the start of the season.
Bucks Likely To Release Slava Kravtsov
Slava Kravtsov is expected to be released by the Bucks because of a surplus of big men, according to Perry A. Farrell of the Detroit Free Press. The 25-year-old center was involved in the sign-and-trade that also sent Khris Middleton and Brandon Knight to the Bucks for Brandon Jennings.
The 7-footer, who turns 26 later this month, spent one year with the Pistons and showed promise in limited time. In 25 games last season, he averaged 3.1 points and 1.8 rebounds in nine minutes per contest.
The Pistons were able to sign Kravtsov outright last July as he went undrafted in 2009. Kravtsov, who is known primarily for his tough defensive play, averaged 10.6 PPG and 5.5 RPG in 22 MPG in his final international season with Ukraine's BC Donetsk.
Bucks Sign Nate Wolters
The Bucks have officially signed second-round pick Nate Wolters to a contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). Terms of the agreement aren't yet known, but the team has a good chunk of cap space left over after sending Brandon Jennings to Detroit, so Wolters could receive more than the minimum.
Wolters, 22, was part of a confusing series of draft-night trades that ultimately saw him picked 38th overall and dealt to the Bucks. The 6'5" guard spent four seasons at South Dakota State, averaging 22.3 PPG and 5.8 APG in 33 contests during his senior year. The Jared Karnes client will be part of an overhauled Milwaukee backcourt that includes Brandon Knight, O.J. Mayo, Gary Neal, and Luke Ridnour.
Pistons Acquire Brandon Jennings From Bucks
WEDNESDAY, 1:08pm: The swap has officially been completed, the Bucks announced today (via Twitter). The Pistons also confirmed the move in a press release.
TUESDAY, 4:39pm: TNT's David Aldridge confirms (via Twitter) that the two sides have reached an agreement. According to Stein (via Twitter), the four players reported so far are expected to be the only pieces involved, so it sounds as if there may not be any picks or cash changing hands.
With the Pistons set to acquire one player in exchange for three, the deal should open up room on the roster to sign second-round pick Peyton Siva, though it's not clear yet if he's in the team's plans for 2013/14.
4:35pm: Viacheslav Kravtsov and Khris Middleton are also headed to the Bucks in the deal, tweets Wojnarowski. Using those two salaries, along with Knight's, the Pistons would be able to offer Jennings a starting salary of $7.72MM, which sounds about right, based on the reported terms. So there may not be any more players involved in the swap.
4:31pm: Knight will be part of the package that the Pistons send to Milwaukee, Wojnarowski confirms (via Twitter).
4:14pm: The Pistons have emerged as a serious candidate to acquire Brandon Jennings from the Bucks in a sign-and-trade, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). According to Stein, the two sides are in "advanced talks" about a potential deal. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports confirms Stein's report, tweeting that the Pistons and Bucks are nearing an agreement.
According to Stein (via Twitter), if and when the two teams finalize a sign-and-trade, Jennings' contract with the Pistons will be in the three-year, $25MM+ range, similar to what his former backcourt partner Monta Ellis received from the Mavericks. Wojnarowski (via Twitter) pegs the value of the deal at three years and $24MM.
There had been rumblings earlier in the month that the Pistons had an eye on Jennings, but GM Joe Dumars adamantly denied that he'd had any trade talks with the Bucks. Either that changed in the last two weeks or Dumars was trying to throw rival suitors off the scent. Regardless, it's easy to see why Milwaukee and Detroit would be a match.
At least one report has suggested Jennings wasn't interested in remaining in Milwaukee, and there have been indications that he was considering accepting his one-year qualifying offer in order to hit unrestricted free agency next summer. A sign-and-trade would be a win-win for Jennings and the Bucks, allowing the young point guard to secure a long-term pact with another club, and allowing Milwaukee to pick up at least an asset or two in return.
It's not clear yet who the Pistons would be parting with in the deal, but Brandon Knight seems like a logical candidate. If Knight were to be included, Detroit would have to add more salary to make the deal work, making Charlie Villanueva or Rodney Stuckey potential fits as well.
Bucks Sign Gary Neal
JULY 30TH, 4:05pm: The Bucks have officially signed Neal, the team announced today (Twitter link).
JULY 27TH, 4:31pm: Bonuses could push the value of Neal's contract to $7MM, TNT's David Aldridge reports (on Twitter).
3:42pm: Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com tweets that the full value of the deal is $6.5MM (hat tip to RealGM.com), which makes a little more sense, considering San Antonio's reluctance to re-sign Neal. If Arnovitz is correct, the Bucks will have to use cap room rather than their room exception.
2:53pm: The Bucks have agreed to sign Gary Neal to a two-year contract worth more than $3MM, a source tells Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier today that the sides were nearing a deal. It appears that the Spurs withdrew their qualifying offer to Neal, so that allows Milwaukee to sign the combo guard outright without having to wait three days to find out whether the Spurs match. Neal's contract will be fully guaranteed, USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt tweets.
The David Falk client was reportedly likely to re-sign with the Spurs at one point this month, but a deal with San Antonio never materialized. The Bucks were one of four teams with interest in Neal, who was receiving offers that the Spurs were reluctant to match, prompting GM R.C. Buford and company to sign Marco Belinelli.
The Bucks can absorb Neal's contract into either their room exception, which allows a starting salary of $2.652MM, or their plentiful cap space. Bringing Neal aboard doesn't figure to have much affect on the team's negotiations with Brandon Jennings, since Milwaukee can go over the cap to re-sign him.
Odds & Ends: Harrington, Ebanks, Mo Williams
Al Harrington recognizes that he's a candidate to be traded or bought out by the Magic, but tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he's healthier and believes he can still contribute, wherever he lands.
"Whatever situation I can get to where I can help a team win, that's what I want to do," Harrington said. "I don't want to play 36 minutes or none of that. Play 20, 25 minutes, just help mentor the young guys and stuff like that."
Here's more from around the NBA:
- Former Laker Devin Ebanks has received interest from the Hawks, Bucks, Bobcats, and Nuggets, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- In his latest column on the Suns, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic says that agent Arn Tellem was "five minutes away" from a deal for J.J. Redick with another team before the Suns and Clippers proposed the three-team trade that sent him to Los Angeles. Coro also notes that the Pacers had expressed interest in Luis Scola for months before acquiring him.
- Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien met with Mo Williams today in Memphis, tweets Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Within an excellent piece on the Thunder, Grantland's Zach Lowe shares a few interesting details on Kevin Durant's max contract and Oklahoma City's cap and tax situation.
Bucks Sign Giannis Antetokounmpo
JULY 30TH: Antetokounmpo has officially signed his deal with the Bucks, as agent Giorgos Dimitropoulos tweets.
JULY 27TH: Giannis Antetokounmpo, whom the Bucks drafted 15th overall in this year's draft, is headed to Milwaukee and will sign his rookie-scale contract soon, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. The Athens native, dubbed the "Greek Freak," is in line for a first-year salary of nearly $1.8MM, as our salary chart for first-rounders shows, providing he signs for the standard 120% of his scale amount.
It seemed clear soon after the draft that the Bucks had no intention of stashing the raw, 18-year-old small forward overseas, so perhaps the monthlong holdup in signing his deal has been related to Milwaukee GM John Hammond's desire to maintain flexibility in the free agent market. The Bucks have been active in the past few days, signing Miroslav Raduljica and agreeing to a contract with Gary Neal, so it seems they're ready to use their ample cap room.
Antetokounmpo spent last season with a second-division club in Greece, so NBA competition will be a significant step up. He figures to be assigned to the Fort Wayne Mad Ants, Milwaukee's D-League affiliate, though with five other NBA clubs sharing the Mad Ants, finding enough playing time could prove a challenge.
Bucks Rumors: Ilyasova, Jennings, Sanders
In his latest NBA AM piece for HoopsWorld, Steve Kyler focuses on the Bucks' offseason, attempting to explain the thinking behind their moves this month. Zach Lowe of Grantland wrote last week that many executives around the league were confused by the Bucks' offseason plan, but Kyler makes the case that the roster is deeper and better poised for the long-term than it was before. Here's more from the HoopsWorld scribe:
- The Bucks feel like Ersan Ilyasova is "capable of a big leap" in 2013/14, and made a number of their offseason decisions with an eye on acquiring players who can complement him.
- Milwaukee remains very open to re-signing Brandon Jennings, but the two sides still don't appear to be all that close on a dollar figure. While Jennings continues to seek a deal comparable to those signed by Jrue Holiday, Stephen Curry, and Ty Lawson last summer (four years, $44-48MM), the Bucks aren't interested in going that high.
- Sources tell Kyler that Jennings has "strongly considered" accepting the Bucks' one-year qualifying offer. It would pay him about $4.53MM next season, and would make him an unrestricted free agent in the summer of 2014.
- The Bucks have started contract extension talks with Larry Sanders. Sanders can avoid becoming a restricted free agent next summer by signing a new deal by October 31st, and there appears to be a "better than average" chance that happens, according to Kyler.
Hawks Claim Gustavo Ayon
MONDAY, 9:10am: The Hawks have confirmed the move in a press release.
SUNDAY, 7:02pm: The Hawks have claimed Gustavo Ayon off of waivers, a league source tells Shams Charania of RealGM. Ayon tipped the signing earlier in the afternoon, writing "Go Atlanta Hawks" on his Facebook page earlier in the afternoon.
The Bucks released Ayon on Thursday due to their glut in the frontcourt, but the 6'10" big man received heavy interest due to his inside presence and affordable $1.5MM contract. Ayon is expected to get a fair trial to earn a spot in a Hawks rotation that has lacked a young, developing center alongside Al Horford, Charania writes. The 28-year-old has averaged 4.8 PPG and 4.3 RPG in two NBA seasons for three different clubs.
Western Rumors: Neal, Miller, Teodosic
The Spurs, like the Thunder last season, have largely stood pat the summer after winning the Western Conference title. The substitution of Marco Belinelli for Gary Neal stands as the most significant change in San Antonio, but, just as Oklahoma City was frequently overlooked in favor of the Lakers in 2012, the Spurs don't appear to be clear favorites to make it back to the Finals. The Thunder are lurking, the Rockets and Warriors have made major upgrades, while the Clippers, Grizzlies and perhaps the Nuggets could also win the West. Here's more on the Spur who got away and other news from the Western Conference:
- The Timberwolves never spoke with agent David Falk or anyone else from Neal's camp about signing the guard before he reached agreement yesterday with the Bucks, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
- Nikolaos Lotsos, the agent for Serbian-born guard Milos Teodosic, tells Sports.ru that his client rejected an offer from the Grizzlies so that he can continue his career overseas (translation via Sportando).
- Darius Miller's minimum-salary contract with the Pelicans became fully guaranteed for the coming season when the team elected not to waive him by the end of yesterday. Previously, the deal had been completely non-guaranteed.