Metta World Peace Clears Waivers
6:46pm: World Peace is set to meet with Knicks officials in Vegas, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.
6:15pm: World Peace texted Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) and expressed that he is interested the Clippers, but has to "meet them first".
5:31pm: At least four teams have contacted MWP already, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Twitter).
4:03pm: Metta World Peace has gone unclaimed on the amnesty waiver process and is now a free agent, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Teams had until 4pm central to claim the forward.
While World Peace was rumored to be eyeing a move to China, it now appears that he wasn't entirely serious about that notion. A source told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com earlier today that his top preference is to sign with the Knicks with the Clippers as a fairly distant second and China in third. The interest between MWP and the Knicks is believed to be mutual.
Metta World Peace Wants To Join Knicks
The deadline for a team to claim Metta World Peace off of amensty waivers is at 4pm central today and while he might go untouched in the next few hours, there are plenty of teams that would love to bring him aboard. Here's the latest on MWP..
- A source close to MWP tells Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (via Twitter) that he definitely wants to play for the Knicks. The Clippers are a fairly distant second, with China third.
- If World Peace clears waivers this afternoon, the Knicks are expected to be the first in line to sign him, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday.
- Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com (on Twitter) expects the forward to wind up with the Knicks, Nets, or Clippers if he's willing to play for the veteran's minimum for one year. All three teams would offer at least a puncher's chance at a title in 2013 and varying degrees of familiarity. World Peace, of course, spent the last few years in Los Angeles and is a New York City native.
- Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links) has heard that Chris Paul and Matt Barnes have reached out to MWP about joining the Clippers. The veteran could potentially come in as a backup power forward in Doc Rivers' rotation. Pincus also notes that the Clippers tried to deal for him way back when he was a member of the Pacers.
- Knicks exec Larry Johnson wants to see the club go out and get World Peace, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
Knicks Rumors: Martin, Robinson, Jordan, Tyler
It sounds like the Knicks will fall short of landing Samuel Dalembert, who's close to a deal with the Mavs. As Knicks GM Glen Grunwald and company search for free agent help, they're limited to handing out no more than the $1.7MM portion of their mini mid-level exception that remains after the team used part of it to re-sign Pablo Prigioni. Still, the team has plenty of targets, as we detail:
- The Knicks are in the lead for Kenyon Martin, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Since Martin played on the Knicks last season, the team can ink him using Non-Bird rights, but that would still provide a salary of no more than about $1.6MM.
- Nate Robinson, Aaron Brooks, Daniel Gibson, Charles Jenkins, John Lucas III, A.J. Price, Nolan Smith, Sebastian Telfair and Toure Murry are all point guards the Knicks are considering, Zwerling writes.
- Robinson would consider signing with the Knicks, but only if he doesn't receive a more lucrative offer from another team, reports Frank Isola of the New York Daily News. The team reached out to the diminuative point guard recently, but as we heard yesterday, a few other clubs have interest in him, too.
- Jerome Jordan, Liam McMorrow and Jeremy Tyler will draw close attention from the Knicks during the Las Vegas summer league, according to Zwerling. There's a "big chance" Tyler will draw an invitation to Knicks training camp, perhaps with a partial guarantee, writes Marc Berman of the New York Post.
- Mike Woodson is intent on keeping Carmelo Anthony at power forward, prompting the club to search for a veteran small forward to use alongside him. Zwerling points to Raja Bell, Josh Childress, Dahntay Jones, Metta World Peace, Mickael Pietrus and Shawne Williams as some of the small forwards drawing the Knicks' eye.
- Al Harrington, who seems to be drawing close to a buyout from the Magic, is another Knicks target, Berman adds.
Eastern Notes: Knicks, Cavs, World Peace
A source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com that the Knicks have expressed interest in Samuel Dalembert. Knicks GM Glen Grunwald was chatting with Dalembert’s agent from Pinnacle Management Corporation, at Summer League yesterday (Twitter link).
Frank Isola of the New York Daily News believes Isiah Thomas is the best chance the Knicks have to snag Metta World Peace, if he clears waivers, with the remaining $1.7MM from their mini mid-level exception.
Metta recently spoke with Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. They discussed Metta’s working with LeBron James and Kevin Durant as a player development coach, what competition means to him, and why he’s such a big fan of LeBron (all Sulia links)
Here's some more from around the Eastern Conference…
- Jim Baubach of Newsday on why the undrafted C.J. Leslie might be a keeper for the Knicks.
- The Cavs should return to relevance much faster than the NBA standard writes the Akron Beacon Journal’s Jason Lloyd
- Bud Shaw of the Cleveland Plain Dealer on Andrew Bynum and the friction he’s already experienced while on the Lakers with new Cavs head coach Mike Brown.
- Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer with a roundup of what he learned about some of the Sixers’ new additions during Orlando Summer League action.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that Larry Sanders was cheering on his Bucks teammates at Las Vegas’ Summer League from the bench.
- A noticeably slimmed down Carlos Boozer was watching his younger brother Charles Boozer play for the Bulls Summer League team in Las Vegas today reports K.C Johnson at the Chicago Tribune.
Pacific Notes: World Peace, Odom, Kings
Metta World Peace was officially amnestied by the Lakers on Thursday, and remains on amnesty waivers, rather than regular waivers–instead of claiming his entire salary, teams can now place partial bids for his services, with the highest bid winning out. Here's the full explanation of the amnesty provision, and this year's amnesty primer.
Doug Davis, one of a pair of agents for the former Ron Artest, suggested that his client's assertion that he may leave the NBA should be taken with a grain of salt, notes Marc Berman of the New York Post. World Peace doesn't want to uproot his family, so the Clippers appear to be his first choice among NBA teams, but Knicks coach Mike Woodson said the team is "on alert" in case World Peace clears amnesty waivers.
"There’s a number of definitely positive things about New York," Davis said. "Hopefully we’ll have the opportunity to assess them [Sunday] after he clears waivers. It’s a very tense time, this 48-hour period. We want him to be in control of his own destiny."
Here's what else is happening around the Pacific Division on this Saturday in the midst of amnesty week:
- The Clippers continue to eye free agent big men Lamar Odom and Antawn Jamison, but sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that the team is taking it slow as it determines the best fit (Twitter link).
- Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times examines whether the Lakers should attempt to avoid paying the luxury tax this season.
- The Kings have renounced their rights to Toney Douglas, who already has an agreement in place with the Warriors, according to the RealGM transactions log. The Kings also renounced their rights to Cole Aldrich.
- And the Kings officially announced in a press release that rookie Ben McLemore had been signed: "The Sacramento Kings today signed first-round draft pick Ben McLemore to a contract, according to Kings General Manager Pete D’Alessandro. Sacramento selected McLemore with the seventh-overall pick in the 2013 NBA Draft. Per team policy, terms of the contract were not disclosed."
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Atlantic Rumors: Nets, Kirilenko, Kenyon, Knicks
GM Billy King says there's nothing untoward about the Nets discount signing of Andrei Kirilenko, despite whispers about under-the-table dealings, as Newsday's Roderick Boone reports.
"I can’t control what people think, what they say," King said. "I think some of the same things were said when Miami got the Big 3 together or guys have moved around. When things happen, people are surprised. My conscience is clean. I know in dealing with [Kirilenko's agent] Marc Fleisher and getting this deal done, I can’t control what people think."
There's more on Kirilenko's decision and other Atlantic Division rumblings, as we detail:
- King said Kirilenko rejected the Nets' pursuit earlier this month, but the forward had changed his mind by the time King checked in with him again, Boone notes in the same piece.
- The Knicks are eyeing free agent Kenyon Martin as they look for a backup big man, and Martin is keeping the Knicks in mind, guard Iman Shumpert tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Wolves assistant Bill Bayno and Rockets assistant Jesse Mermuys are set to join Dwane Casey's staff with the Raptors, as Eric Koreen of the National Post passes along.
- Philadelphia GM Sam Hinkie held forth on all things Sixers in his interview with HoopsWorld's Bill Ingram, affirming that ownership is on board with the drastic changes he's making to the team.
- The Sixers' acquisition of Nerlens Noel for Jrue Holiday, Hinkie's first major move, became official today, as did the Celtics/Nets blockbuster. Brian Mahoney of The Associated Press examines Brooklyn's high-priced gamble.
World Peace Not Interested In NBA For 2013/14?
8:00pm: There are still indications that World Peace would have interest in joining a contending team in the NBA if he clears amnesty waivers, writes Sam Amick of USA Today. The veteran appears intent on becoming a free agent rather than being claimed, Amick adds, pointing out that World Peace would forfeit his salary from the Lakers if a team claims him and he fails to report to camp. The Clippers have overtaken the Knicks as the top team on World Peace's list of preferred destinations, but both clubs appear to have interest in signing the man formerly known as Ron Artest, even though they can only offer the minimum salary.
4:21pm: Metta World Peace is now officially on amnesty waivers, meaning teams with cap space are allowed to place partial bids during the next two days. If more than one team places a claim, the highest bidder will land World Peace, assuming a portion of his salary. If there are no bidders, the man formerly known as Ron Artest becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Considering under-the-cap teams – many of them non-contenders – have the opportunity to claim World Peace without his say, we should probably take any comments he makes over the next couple days with a grain of salt. But according to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com and Shahan Ahmed of NBC Los Angeles, the ex-Laker told the duo that he's not interested in playing in the NBA in 2013/14. The 33-year-old's top choice is to play in China, while his other potential options include coaching with an NBA team, or playing arena football (Twitter links).
Again, with World Peace at the mercy of the waiver system, it's reasonable to assume that he may be trying to scare off non-contenders from claiming him. If he were to become an unrestricted free agent, he'd be able to sign with any team besides the Lakers, and he reportedly has interest in joining the Knicks, among others.
Howard Beck of the New York Times noted earlier today (via Twitter) that World Peace wouldn't officially be placed on waivers until 4:00pm CST today, so the bidding period will end on Sunday afternoon.
Eastern Notes: Kirilenko, Henderson, Oden, Heat
When he turned down his $10MM+ player option with the Timberwolves, Andrei Kirilenko wasn't necessarily expecting to match that annual salary on a long-term deal, but he was seeking a three-year contract worth $8MM+ per season, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. As Wojnarowski writes, that's why Kirilenko's decision to accept the Nets' $3.18MM mini mid-level exception is raising eyebrows around the NBA. Rival teams are suggesting the league look into the deal to make sure Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov isn't somehow circumventing the league's CBA.
"There should be a probe," an Eastern Conference general manager said. "How obvious is it?"
"Let's see if the league has any credibility," one team owner said. "It's not about stopping it. It's about punishing them if they're doing it."
As we wait to see if the NBA looks into the Nets' agreement with Kirilenko, let's check in on a few more notes from around the Eastern Conference….
- While the Bobcats are wary of overpaying Gerald Henderson, there's no doubt the team wants to bring him back, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. Bonnell adds in a tweet that the team talked to Henderson's reps today and there was a "positive tone."
- Bonnell says in another tweet that even though Greg Oden's agent, Mike Conley Sr., continues to list the Bobcats among potential destinations for his client, center is no longer an area of need for the team.
- Conley's comments to Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida suggest that Miami remains atop Oden's wish list anyway, and Heat president Pat Riley confirmed today the team remains interested, according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel (via Twitter).
- Riley also told reporters, including Winderman (Twitter links), that the Heat don't plan to use their amnesty provision this week and that it's also becoming less likely that the team's mini MLE gets used. However, Riley didn't shut the door on either option.
- Chris Smith, J.R. Smith's younger brother, is hoping to earn a spot on the Knicks' opening night roster, but acknowledges to Marc Berman of the New York Post that he'll have to prove he belongs.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com examines how much value is attached to the option to swap draft picks with a trading partner, with a focus on today's completed Nets/Celtics deal.
Lakers Amnesty Metta World Peace
The Lakers have announced that they will use their amnesty provision on Metta World Peace, reports Dave McMenamin of ESPN LA (via Twitter). World Peace opted into his 2013/14 contact with the Lakers in late June, which was worth about $7.73MM, making this move all but inevitable. We heard earlier this week the move was likely to happen before July 16th, the deadline for NBA teams to utilize their amnesty provision.
The Lakers signed Nick Young earlier today, which ramped up speculation that World Peace would soon be amnestied. On Tuesday, we heard that World Peace is interested in joining the Knicks, Clippers, Nets, Bulls, Heat, Thunder, Spurs, and Pacers, in that order. Ian Begley of ESPN New York tweets that the Knicks will have interest. According to Ken Berger of CBS, teams with cap room can put in a waiver claim over the next 48 hours to pick up a portion of World Peace's salary, with the highest bid winning. If no team bids, he will become an unrestricted free agent and teams like the Knicks can sign him (Twitter links).
The move is just the latest in what has been a tumultuous offseason in Los Angeles. After the news broke, World Peace tweeted thanking Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak for calling him before he alerted the media. Kupchak released a statement regarding the move, tweeted by Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register:
"It's tough to say goodbye to a player such as Metta, who has been a significant part of our team the past four seasons. For anyone who’s had the opportunity to get to know him, it’s impossible not to love him. He has made many contributions to this organization, both in his community work as well as in our games; perhaps no more so than in his clutch play in Game 7 of the 2010 NBA Finals in helping to lead us over the Celtics in one of the greatest playoff wins in Lakers history. We thank Metta for all his contributions and wish him the best of luck in the future."
Atlantic Notes: Kirilenko, Nets, Bargnani, Celtics
The Nets have dominated the NBA headlines again tonight, this time coming to an agreement with free agent Andrei Kirilenko on what seems to be a very team-friendly two-year deal. Let's take a look at what we're hearing about that deal as well as everything else going on in the Atlantic division here:
- Given their cap situation, Kirilenko figures to cost the Nets much more than the $3.1MM he signed for this season when you consider the luxury tax. Ken Berger of CBS Sports estimates, via Twitter, the total cost to the Nets at about $15MM, further drilling home the notion that Brooklyn is going all in on the 2013/14 season.
- David Aldridge of NBA.com writes that Kirilenko wanted to play for a contender and was concerned that potential sign-and-trades with other good teams might not work out, leading to his deal with the Nets.
- Despite Aldridge's explanation, Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets that the Kirilenko deal is already "drawing confused and angry whispers" from the around the league.
- With the Knicks deal for Andrea Bargnani finalized yesterday, GM Glen Grunwald explains why he agreed to include a first round pick in the deal for the sharp-shooting Italian, per Ian Begley at ESPN New York. Begley also writes that Bargnani is eager for a fresh start with the contending Knicks.
- Purdue assistant Micah Shrewsberry will join the Celtics coaching staff, reports Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Shrewsberry was an assistant at Butler under new C's coach Brad Stevens. Citing NBA sources, Holmes also tweets that the next hire for the Boston staff will probably have considerable NBA experience, with former Bulls assistant Ron Adams being a top target.