Knicks, Beno Udrih Agree To Buyout
MONDAY, 3:59pm: The Knicks announced that the buyout is now official.
2:03pm: Udrih and the Knicks are expected to make the buyout official today, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link).
SATURDAY, 5:22pm: Al Iannazzone of Newsday hears that the buyout has been agreed upon. (Twitter link). It is not yet known when the buyouts will be officially announced.
10:50am: A league source confirms with Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that the Knicks are working on a buyout of Udrih’s contract (Twitter link).
10:31am: In addition to the news that New York will buy out Metta World Peace‘s contract, a league source tells Ian Begley of ESPN New York that the team is in discussions to cut ties with Beno Udrih as well (Twitter link).
The veteran backup point guard was signed this offseason to a one-year deal worth roughly $884K. After dissatisfaction with his playing time, and finding himself the source of blame for the Knicks troubles from coach Mike Woodson, Udrih made and then revoked a trade request earlier this season. The Knicks were involved with a lot of talks that included the 31-year-old leading up to Thursday’s trade deadline, but ultimately couldn’t find a trading partner.
Udrih will likely look to catch on with a winning team in need of a backup point guard after clearing waivers. Udrih shares an agent with World Peace. Both are represented by Marc Cornstein of Pinnacle Management Corp., as you can see in our Agency Database.
Clippers Interested In Metta World Peace
Metta World Peace‘s buyout from the Knicks is expected to become official today, and the Clippers have interest in signing him as a free agent, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Amick cautions that it’s not a “slam dunk” that the former Ron Artest will wind up back in L.A. The Clippers still have a pair of open roster spots after signing Glen Davis today to get back to the league-minimum 13 players.
The Clippers would be limited to offering World Peace the minimum salary. He’d help shore up depth along a front line that lost reserves Antawn Jamison and Byron Mullens at the trade deadline. It would be a return to familiar territory for the 34-year-old, who spent the last four seasons in L.A. with the Lakers.
World Peace took to Twitter to reveal that he’s already put pen to paper on his buyout agreement with the Knicks, so assuming the team makes an announcement today, he’ll be set to clear waivers on Wednesday. It seems unlikely that any team will submit a waiver claim for the 15th-year veteran’s contract, which pays him $1.59MM this season and includes a player option for slightly more next season.
Grizzlies, Knicks, Clippers Eye Lester Hudson
The Grizzlies, Knicks and Clippers have expressed interest in Chinese league guard Lester Hudson, reports Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Hudson is still playing with the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers in the Chinese Basketball Association postseason, but he’ll be avaiable to return stateside before the conclusion of the NBA’s regular season.
Hudson, who’s played parts of three seasons in the NBA, has been a standout in China this year, averaging 26.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 5.0 assists for the team with the second best record in the league. It’s the third straight strong showing in China for the 29-year-old who spent camp this past fall with the Jazz.
The former second-round pick made his most significant impact in the NBA in 2011/12, the last time he appeared during the regular season. Hudson averaged 12.7 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.7 assists in 24.2 minutes per contest in a 13-game stint with the Cavs. Cleveland elected not to re-sign him for the season after his first 10-day contract expired, instead offering only another 10-day deal. That drew the ire of agent Keith Glass, who rebuffed the Cavs when they put a contract that covered the rest of the season on the table after the second 10-day was up. Hudson wound up inking for the rest of the year with Memphis.
Knicks Only Team Willing To Offer Max To ‘Melo?
Unless LeBron James opts out of his deal, Carmelo Anthony seems poised to become the top prize on the free agent market this summer, having said on multiple occasions that he intends to exercise his early termination option at season’s end. Sources nonetheless tell Steve Kyler of Basketball Insiders that the Knicks will likely be the only team willing to offer Anthony a maximum-salary deal.
The highest starting salary Anthony could get in a new deal is $22,458,401, whether he signs with the Knicks or another team. Still, the Bulls and Lakers, two rumored suitors, appear reluctant to go that high, Kyler writes. It’s not the first report indicating a lack of interest from the Lakers, and Kyler has written before about the low odds of a max deal for Anthony in Chicago. Still, with no other max-salary pitches emerging, it sounds like the Knicks will wind up with a distinct financial advantage come July. New York could offer a longer deal with higher raises even if another team offered the same maximum starting salary, meaning the Knicks can lay out a package that’s about $33MM more than anyone else can put on the table, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors explained back in October.
It might not come down to money for the Leon Rose client, who said over the All-Star break that he’d be willing to take less if it would help the Knicks retain the flexibility to sign other useful free agents. Anthony said his priority is to stay with the Knicks, and that he’d sit down with the team executives in the summer before making his final decision to hear their plan for returning the team to contention.
Of course, much can change between now and the summer, and I’d be surprised if at least one other team that’s not planning a maximum-salary pitch to Anthony decides it’s willing to make one. Anthony turns 30 in May and has won just three playoff series in his career, but he’s only one season removed from leading the NBA in scoring, and his 25.1 PER this year is a career high.
Odds & Ends: Onuaku, Collins, Johnson, Faried
Danny Granger was the biggest name involved in a deadline deal and Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee explains why that might have been the case. “We’ve seen a trend toward teams being much more cautious and careful about how aggressive they are about trading for longer-term contracts, and that’s because of the luxury tax,” Tom Penn, an ESPN analyst and former Blazers vice president of basketball operations told Jones. “The other major change in the new deal is draft picks have become more coveted, and that’s because teams can no longer throw cash into trades as aggressively.” The old CBA allowed clubs to include as much as $3MM in a trade. The current CBA says that teams can only trade up to $3.2MM on the year. More from around the league..
- The Cavs announced that they have recalled Arinze Onuaku from the Canton Charge of the D-League. Onuaku has appeared in 27 games for the Charge this season with averages of 14.4 PPG, 9.7 RPG and 1.0 BPG in 24.2 MPG.
- Even with the Nets‘ signing of Jason Collins and the Clippers’ agreement with Glen Davis, those teams are still possible destinations for Ivan Johnson, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM.com.
- Charania spoke with Kenneth Faried about all the trade talk surrounding him leading up to the trade deadline on Thursday. “I’m not surprised at all that my name was in trade situations, because I am a good player and people do want me,” the Nuggets forward said. “It just makes me that much more aware of how many other teams want me and like me.”
- Sometimes, the best moves are the ones that you don’t make. Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders argues that the Rockets didn’t need a blockbuster deal at the deadline.
- Keith Schlosser of Knicks Journal wonders if the Knicks would have signed Collins.
Knicks Considering Ike Diogu
The Knicks are mulling whether to use one of two soon-to-be-open roster spots on power forward Ike Diogu, an NBA source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post. The former lottery pick impressed the team during training camp, but was ultimately released.
The Knicks will have two open spots when Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih’s buyouts become official tomorrow. The undersized forward, who is in the D-League with the Bakersfield Jam and averaging 16.2 points and 8.2 rebounds, could be an option for the club. It should come as no surprise that the Knicks would have interest in Danny Granger if he is bought out by the Sixers but they’ve also got interest in Earl Clark, Ben Gordon (if his buyout is completed), and Antawn Jamison.
Because the club is well into luxury tax territory and owner James Dolan is already paying 17 players this season, the Knicks may only sign one player. With solid rebounding ability and a decent mid-range game, New York may make Diogu their pick.
Eastern Notes: Heat, Iverson, Miller
The Heat essentially stood pat at the trade deadline. Outside of shipping Roger Mason Jr. to the Kings for a highly protected second-round pick, they didn’t do much to add to their rotation. The next few weeks could be as intriguing as some of the past offseasons have been for the Heat when it comes to personnel and rounding out the bench, as the team sorely needs to add some depth, writes Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel. Winderman believes the team needs to add another wing player amid the current shaky shooting from both Shane Battier and Ray Allen.
More from around the east:
- The Celtics continue to keep close tabs on Colton Iverson, the team’s second round pick in 2013, writes Baxter Holmes of The Boston Globe. The 7-footer is playing with Besiktas of the Turkish League, and in 18 games, he’s averaging 6.5 PPG, 5.6 RPG and 3.1 APG over 17.3 MPG. Iverson is playing overseas because the Celtics didn’t have enough room on their roster to keep him after the draft, but the team likes his aggressive play, and he still factors into their future plans, opines Holmes.
- Carmelo Anthony was surprised at the news the Knicks would be buying out the contracts of Beno Udrih and Metta World Peace, writes Matt Winkeljohn of ESPNNewYork.com. Anthony stated, “It’s sad to see them go, but this is the business of basketball … it happened, and we’ve got to move on. The buyouts kind of surprised me because [Friday] Metta seemed like he was in a good place. He was happy, he played . . . he was a different Metta.”
- Andre Miller scored five points, and dished out three assists in his first game with the Wizards. They’re not huge numbers, but he is already making a big impact with his new team, writes J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. The team’s rotation has changed, and the offense ran smoother than it had been when John Wall was off the court, but Miller’s biggest contribution may be him mentoring Wall, opines Michael. Wall stated, “That’s a guy you can learn from. It’s a guy that loves the game and is still playing at 37. I hope I can be playing at 37.“
Odds & Ends: Griffin, Knicks, Granger, Gordon
The Cavs have quietly reached out to at least one alternative candidate for their GM opening outside of interim David Griffin, reports Jason Lloyd of The Akron Beacon Journal. However, Lloyd says ownership is giving Griffin a fair shot at the job based on how he performs the rest of the season, and won’t be generating rumors that could distract him from the task at hand. Here’s more from around the league:
- Knicks Coach Mike Woodson confirmed to reporters, including Newsday’s Al Iannazzone, that the Knicks have agreed with both Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih on buyouts, but wouldn’t expound on the causes for either: “I can’t say anything went wrong,” Woodson said. “They weren’t in the rotations. I’m not going to linger on it. We’re buying them out.”
- In a separate piece, Iannazzone says that the Knicks offseason can’t be as quiet as their trade deadline was, since the team will be trying to upgrade their roster around Carmelo Anthony, whom they hope to re-sign over the summer. Iannazzone thinks that the expiring contracts for Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Andrea Bargnani could become movable assets along with Raymond Felton and Iman Shumpert, who have already been involved in a lot of trade speculation.
- While Danny Granger‘s buyout is still a “distinct possibility,” nothing is imminent, as the initial trade between the Sixers and Pacers is not yet official, tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles.
- On a related note, Shelburne tweets that Ben Gordon‘s buyout talks with the Bobcats are progressing slowly as well.
- A group post at Basketball Insiders looks at players that they think should have been, but weren’t traded before Thursday’s deadline. Iman Shumpert, Rajon Rondo, and Pau Gasol, made the list.
- J.J. Barea told The Star Tribune that he didn’t want any of the trade rumors surrounding him leaving the Timberwolves before the recent trade deadline to come to fruition: “You never really want to get traded. I think I’m in a good situation here, and I think we have a good group of guys with a good staff.”
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Hawes, Turner
New arrivals Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour are excited to play for the playoff-hopeful Bobcats, they tell Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. “It’s fun to be in a playoff hunt,” said Ridnour. “You definitely sense a hunger on this team and in the town that we can make the playoffs.” Here are some more notes from the Eastern Conference:
- Ian Begley of ESPN New York takes a look at the Knicks‘ cap space in coming years. Assuming New York can re-sign Carmelo Anthony, the Knicks are currently looking at their first bit of breathing room in the 2015/16 season, when five players from the current roster could remain under contract. With just around $21MM in cap room estimated at that time, it would be difficult for New York to add much around another max-contract free agent if they were able to land one of their targets like Kevin Love or Rajon Rondo.
- Spencer Hawes is another player moving from the bottom of the East to a team in playoff contention, and the new Cavs center told reporters including of Bob Finnan of The News-Herald, “Now I feel like it’s a chance to hit ‘reset’ and get acclimated for this stretch run.” Hawes says he expected to be traded, but hadn’t thought of Cleveland as his likely destination.
- Evan Turner took to Twitter to express his appreciation for his time with the Sixers fans and organization, as transcribed by James Park of Sheridan Hoops. Turner’s had spent his entire career with the team that took him second-overall in the 2010 NBA draft prior to this week’s trade to the Pacers.
- Turner’s agent tells Howard Beck of Bleacher Report that Turner is “ecstatic” to be playing for the Pacers. Beck’s full article looks at how a change of team will also include changed expectations for Turner, who never lived up to his lofty draft status in Philadelphia.
Odds & Ends: Miller, Sessions, Deng, Brown
Andre Miller was excited when he got word he had been traded, reveals Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “I was ready to go,” said Miller. “I’m glad it’s over. I’ve been sitting around for about a month and a half. I’m happy to be here.” He’ll have the opportunity to help the Wizards make some noise in the East after sitting on the bench since late December. Let’s round up some news from around the NBA:
- According to HoopsHype, 20 of the 50 most discussed trade candidates wound up being dealt by Thursday’s deadline.
- Ramon Sessions is content being back with the Bucks, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinal. The Bucks selected Sessions 56th overall in the 2007 draft.
- The deadline deal between the Bobcats and Bucks is now official per a tweet from Charlotte’s PR account, so Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour can now play playoff-hopefuls in Charlotte.
- Luol Deng will be a free agent at season’s end, and if he chooses to walk away from the Cavaliers, he’s likely to be pursued by the Mavs, Lakers, Celtics, Magic and Bobcats, hears Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.
- The Bulls and Spurs are among the teams interested in signing the recently waived Antawn Jamison, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter).
- Shannon Brown is coming off his second 10-day with the Spurs, and although his play for San Antonio was less than stellar, he’s drawing interest from the Rockets, Heat, Bulls, and Knicks, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
- It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Heat sign two free agents in the coming week, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, who notes Miami has an open spot from the Roger Mason deal, and also could waive Toney Douglas if they’re interested in more than one guy (Twitter link).
- An official press release from the Cavaliers revealed the team has assigned Arinze Onuaku to their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge. Onuaku had been playing for the Charge before signing a 10-day deal with Cleveland but didn’t have his rights owned by the Cavs.
- Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest.com explores what went wrong during Pierre Jackson‘s tenure in the D-League.
- David Stern laid the foundation for continuing growth in the NBA, and Carol Cain of the Detroit Free Press looks back on what he was able to accomplish during his tenure as commissioner.