Eastern Notes: Curry, Henderson, Oden, Joseph
We've already had two amnesty provisions in the East announced tonight in Linas Kleiza and Drew Gooden. Let's round up the rest of the Eastern Conference news here on Tuesday night:
- The latest on the Sixers coaching search indicates that the team is no rush to make a decision, but that doesn't bother in-house candidate Michael Curry, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Curry, who conducted the team's pre-draft workouts and coached the Sixers summer league team, is expected to be interviewed and was told from the start by general manager Sam Hinkie that the coaching search would be a long process.
- The Bobcats and restricted free agent Gerald Henderson are having ongoing contract discussions about a return to Charlotte, but are still not close financially, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Just last week, we heard that the Bobcats and Henderson had reached a stalemate. It doesn't look like things have changed much, but the report that the sides are still communicating is good news for Bobcats fans.
- With the Heat now rumored to be the unofficial frontrunner to land Greg Oden, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel wonders what type of message it would send if the team used the taxpayer mid-level exception, worth about $3.2MM, on the injury-prone Oden only days after re-signing Chris Andersen, who contributed to their second straight title run, for about half the price. Winderman also speculates that the Heat could try to move Joel Anthony in a cost-cutting move that would easier allow them to ink Oden (Twitter links).
- Kris Joseph, waived yesterday by the Celtics, will likely look to latch on with an NBA team in a training camp this fall. The Nets, with whom Joseph finished last season, are said to have interest in the forward, tweets Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, but are prohibited from signing him for a year after shipping him north in the deal to acquire Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
Eastern Notes: Curry, Henderson, Oden, Joseph
We've already had two amnesty provisions in the East announced tonight in Linas Kleiza and Drew Gooden. Let's round up the rest of the Eastern Conference news here on Tuesday night:
- The latest on the Sixers coaching search indicates that the team is no rush to make a decision, but that doesn't bother in-house candidate Michael Curry, writes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Curry, who conducted the team's pre-draft workouts and coached the Sixers summer league team, is expected to be interviewed and was told from the start by general manager Sam Hinkie that the coaching search would be a long process.
- The Bobcats and restricted free agent Gerald Henderson are having ongoing contract discussions about a return to Charlotte, but are still not close financially, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Just last week, we heard that the Bobcats and Henderson had reached a stalemate. It doesn't look like things have changed much, but the report that the sides are still communicating is good news for Bobcats fans.
- With the Heat now rumored to be the unofficial frontrunner to land Greg Oden, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel wonders what type of message it would send if the team used the taxpayer mid-level exception, worth about $3.2MM, on the injury-prone Oden only days after re-signing Chris Andersen, who contributed to their second straight title run, for about half the price. Winderman also speculates that the Heat could try to move Joel Anthony in a cost-cutting move that would easier allow them to ink Oden (Twitter links).
- Kris Joseph, waived yesterday by the Celtics, will likely look to latch on with an NBA team in a training camp this fall. The Nets, with whom Joseph finished last season, are said to have interest in the forward, tweets Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald, but are prohibited from signing him for a year after shipping him north in the deal to acquire Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett.
Glen Grunwald Talks Smith, Anthony, Point Guard
While the Nets have stolen the NBA headlines in New York for the most part this offseason, the Knicks have been busy as well lately. Knicks general manager Glen Grunwald met with the media today, after adding Metta World Peace and re-signing J.R. Smith in the past week.
- Grunwald said Smith's knees shouldn't be a long-term issue, which is why he had no qualms committing four years and $24.7MM to the reigning Sixth Man of the Year, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN New York. SNY's Adam Zagoria adds that the team is hopeful that Smith will be ready for the start of the regular season. Grunwald was no doubt responding to the concern that was expressed after news broke that Smith underwent knee surgery less than a week after the Knicks re-signed him. Grunwald said that the decision to hold off on the surgery came from Smith, who probably didn't want news of his surgery to impact free agency.
- Grunwald also addressed the possibility of Carmelo Anthony opting out of his deal after the upcoming season, writes Zagoria, who opines that the situation could loom over the team like a black cloud. To no one's surprise, Grunwald stressed the team's desire to keep Anthony in New York long-term, saying, "We obviously love Carmelo. We think he's great for New York and New York's great for him." Anthony's player option for 2014/15 is for $23.5MM. Should he opt out, he would be eligible for a new five-year contract from the Knicks, adds Zagoria.
- Grunwald confirmed that the team is looking to add a point guard to go behind Raymond Felton and Pablo Prigioni. Zagoria lists Aaron Brooks, Sebastian Telfair, Toure Murry and J.R.'s younger brother Chris Smith as possibilities to fill the role, but adds that Grunwald expressed interest in waiting until training camp to let it play out.
Eastern Notes: Pistons, Hawks, Tyler, Adams
Various recent reports have suggested the Pistons are looking for an upgrade at point guard, linking the team to Rajon Rondo and Brandon Jennings. Speaking to reporters today, including David Mayo of MLive.com, GM Joe Dumars confirmed he'd talked to the Celtics about Rondo, but adamantly denied offering Brandon Knight to Boston, or having any talks with the Bucks about Jennings.
Here's more out of the Eastern Conference:
- According to Grantland's Zach Lowe, a few teams inquired on Greg Monroe's availability prior to the draft, but were given a flat "no" by the Pistons.
- Although there were several teams interested in Gigi Datome, the Pistons viewed the Heat as the biggest threat to nab the Italian sharpshooter, tweets Keith Langlois of Pistons.com.
- Even after reaching deals with Paul Millsap, DeMarre Carroll, and Elton Brand, the Hawks have interest in bringing back Ivan Johnson, tweets Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
- Jeff Teague spoke to Shams Charania of RealGM.com about the Hawks' decision to match his offer sheet with the Bucks, indicating that he's happy to be returning to Atlanta.
- Gabe Giordano, the agent for Jeremy Tyler, is hopeful that his client will be able to finalize a contract with the Knicks in the next few weeks that will at least earn him a training camp invite, as Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com writes.
- Former Bulls lead assistant Ron Adams will be joining the Celtics' coaching staff in a similar role, says Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe.
- George Hill of the Pacers and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist of the Bobcats have been added to the Team USA mini-camp roster, along with Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart, tweets Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com. Kawhi Leonard will no longer participate due to a left knee injury.
Knicks Sign Metta World Peace
TUESDAY, 3:57pm: The Knicks have officially signed World Peace, the team confirmed today (via Twitter).
MONDAY, 3:07pm: World Peace confirmed on NBA TV that he has agreed to sign with the Knicks, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.
2:46pm: In spite of World Peace's denial, new reports on the agreement continue to trickle in, and Ron Artest Sr. has essentially confirmed the deal with multiple outlets, so it looks to me like it'll get done.
2:28pm: Despite multiple outlets reporting the agreement, World Peace has texted Sam Amick of USA Today to say it's not a done deal, and that he's "still talking to other people" (Twitter link).
2:14pm: Newsday's Al Iannazzone reports (via Twitter) that World Peace will receive the rest of the Knicks' mini MLE and will have a second-year player option, as I speculated below.
2:04pm: The Knicks and Metta World Peace have reached an agreement in principle on a two-year deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Sam Amick of USA Today reported earlier this afternoon that World Peace had met with the Knicks in Las Vegas and planned to sit down with other teams, but it appears as if those additional meetings won't be necessary.
We heard nearly a week ago that the Knicks would top World Peace's wish list if the Lakers were to amnesty him. Since then, the Lakers made the move official, and many more rumors about World Peace's preferred destinations surfaced. Various reports over the last week, including many that quoted MWP himself, indicated that he might sit out the 2013/14 season, end up on the Clippers, or play with a Chinese team.
Ultimately, it seems as if many of those quotes from World Peace were intended to ensure that he cleared waivers and was able to choose his own destiny. It's not clear yet whether the ex-Laker will receive the rest of the Knicks' mini mid-level exception, or if he'll sign for the minimum. Either way, he'll still earn more than the $7.73MM salary that the Lakers cleared from their cap. It wouldn't surprise me if the second year of his deal with the Knicks is a player option, giving him some security while allowing him to hit the open market next summer if he so chooses.
Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Smith, Celtics
Knicks fans got some unfortunate news this evening when the club announced that J.R. Smith has undergone patellar tendon surgery and an arthroscopy for a tear in the lateral meniscus of his left knee. He'll need three to four months to recover, putting him in line for a return between October 15th and November 15th, according to the club. The timing of the news is curious as the defending Sixth Man of the Year re-signed with the Knicks on a four-year, $24.7MM deal just last week. Here's more out of the Atlantic..
- A league source told Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that the Knicks knew that Smith would likely require surgery on his knee when they signed him to his new deal. Zwerling adds that an orthopedist once told him that about 60% of NBA players undergo knee procedures over the summer, many of which the public doesn't hear about (link).
- At today's press conference introducing Kris Humphries, MarShon Brooks, and Keith Bogans to the Boston media, GM Danny Ainge admitted that there's still a lot of work ahead for him this summer. "I think everything is in flux for the next few months," Ainge said. "We have a little bit of a logjam at our big positions. We have a little bit of a logjam at the shooting guard position. So there’s some decisions and some choices that we’re going to have to make over the next few months."
- Ainge went on to say that the Nets wanted a Dream Team at any cost, writes Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com in his wrapup of the presser.
- Former Celtics guard Terrence Williams has left agent Aaron Goodwin and joined up with Herb Rudoy, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). You can keep track of everyone's representation with the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Wizards Rumors: Wall, Bynum, Haynes
Over the weekend, John Wall spoke with Michael Lee of the Washington Post about his expectations for the upcoming season. While many are wondering about his future with the Wizards, he claims that his focus will be reaching the postseason for the first time in his NBA career. Could he be headed to the negotiating table sooner rather than later? Here's more on that and other notes on D.C..
- The Wizards have began talking with Wall's agent, Dan Fegan, regarding an extension before the regular season, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Wall will make $7.259MM this season and if he and the team don't reach a deal on an extension by October 31st, the Wizards have the option of extending him a qualifying offer of $9.698MM in the spring. The Wizards star believes that he is deserving of a max deal, but many in the basketball world do not agree.
- Guard Will Bynum said that he had an offer from the Wizards and was drawing heavy interest from the Knicks and Clippers, but the Pistons were always his preference, tweets Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Detroit re-signed Bynum to a two-year, $5.75MM deal earlier this month.
- Wizards summer league invite Marquez Haynes is impressing people in the organization, including assistant coach Sam Cassell, Michael writes. The guard had interest from other clubs this summer, including the Mavs and Jazz, but wound up with the Wizards' squad.
Contract Details: Ginobili, Knicks, Bogans
CBA guru Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com passed along a few specific figures on some recently signed contracts today, including the new salary for the real winner of the Celtics/Nets blockbuster. Let's round up Deeks' updates….
- Manu Ginobili's two-year contract with the Spurs will pay him $14.5MM over two seasons, and the first-year salary will be slightly higher than the second-year figure (Twitter links).
- The Knicks used $1,591,350 of their mini mid-level exception to re-sign Pablo Prigioni, which leaves $1,591,650 for Metta World Peace (Twitter link).
- C.J. Leslie's two-year, minimum-salary deal with the Knicks will guarantee him $200K for 2013/14, but is fully non-guaranteed for year two (Twitter link).
- In a full blog post, Deeks goes into detail on Keith Bogans, the biggest beneficiary of the Celtics/Nets deal. Because he needed to be signed-and-traded to help match salaries, Bogans will receive a three-year contract. Only the first year is guaranteed, but for 2013/14, he'll earn a staggering $5,058,198.
Eastern Notes: MWP, Rondo, Ariza, Jennings
As the third week of NBA free agency gets underway, let's round up a few items related to Eastern Conference teams….
- Agent Marc Cornstein confirms to Marc Berman of the New York Post that there's mutual interest between the Knicks and his client, Metta World Peace. World Peace and his reps are expected to weigh several options before making a decision.
- Celtics fans shouldn't have to worry about Rajon Rondo pulling a Ray Allen anytime soon. At his summer camp in Kentucky, Rondo declared that he "would never play for the Miami Heat" (link via WEEI.com).
- The players the Celtics acquired from the Nets in their blockbuster trade aren't as valuable as the draft picks involved, but MarShon Brooks could end up being a hidden gem, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
- With his free agency a year away, Wizards forward Trevor Ariza has signed with agent Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Ariza had previously been represented by David Lee.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com examines a few potential outcomes for Brandon Jennings' free agency, including accepting the Bucks' qualifying offer.
Metta World Peace To Play In China?
8:39pm: Agent Marc Cornstein told Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Twitter) that he will meet with his client tonight to go over all of his options. Cornstein said that a meeting with the Knicks is possible, indicating that nothing is a done deal yet with the enigmatic forward.
7:16pm: Metta World Peace said that he is going to play in China next season in a text to Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (via Twitter). Peace's desire to play in China was reported shortly after he was amnestied by the Lakers,
A source close to the forward told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com earlier today that World Peace's top preference was to join up with the Knicks with the Clippers as a distant second and China third on his wishlist. It now appears that Peace got a tremendous offer to play overseas or was throwing some misdirection to the media in advance of his decision.
World Peace was set to make $7.73MM in 2013/14 and carrying his salary on the books for 2013/14 would have carried major luxury tax implications. The veteran is, of course, known for his tenacious defense, but his play has declined considerably in Los Angeles in recent years. Last season, World Peace averaged 12.4 PPG with 5.0 RPG in 33.7 minutes per contest.