FA Updates: Brewer, Teague, Hawks, Knicks, Lucas
With the July moratorium scheduled to be lifted tomorrow, free agent contracts can finally become official, and tomorrow should be a busy day, as teams and players formally finalize their agreements from the last nine days. However, there are still plenty of players on the market in search of a new team, or a deal with their old team. Here's the latest on a few of them:
- Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that the Timberwolves have spoken to Corey Brewer's reps, and Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune hears from a source close to Brewer that the Wolves "would love him" (Twitter link).
- The Bucks' interest in Jeff Teague is "undeniable," but it's not clear if the Hawks are ready to take back Brandon Jennings or Monta Ellis in a sign-and-trade, says ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter).
- After passing along a handful of Knicks updates this morning, Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com provides a couple more. According to Zwerling, there's still mutual interest between the Knicks and Aaron Brooks, and the team also has some interest in Shawne Williams, though there's "nothing firm" there (Twitter links).
- Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reports that John Lucas III met with the Jazz in Orlando yesterday, and hears from agent Bernie Lee that Lucas will meet with another team today in his hometown of Houston. According to Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter), four teams, including the Jazz, are interested in the free agent point guard.
- Before he agreed to sign with the Pistons, Italian forward Gigi Datome drew interest from the Celtics, Bucks, Rockets, Suns, Spurs, and Grizzlies, tweets Vincent Ellis of the Detroit Free Press.
Pacific Notes: Kings, Salmons, Lakers, Scalabrine
Let's round up a few Tuesday morning items out of the Pacific Division….
- Having missed out on Andre Iguodala, the Kings are still seeking a small forward, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee writes. Within his piece, Jones notes that the Kings haven't shown interest in Andrei Kirilenko or Corey Brewer, and explores some trade possibilities for the club.
- The Kings continue to have interest in Monta Ellis, and ESPN.com's Marc Stein points out in a tweet that the team could potentially amnesty John Salmons to create the cap space necessary to sign Ellis. Of course, that would create an even bigger hole at small forward.
- Marc Berman of the New York Post is the latest to speculate that Carmelo Anthony might decide to sign with the Lakers next summer, especially if the Knicks underachieve in 2013/14. However, Tom Ziller of SBNation.com is skeptical about the Carmelo-to-L.A. rumblings, explaining in his latest piece why he thinks it's a comical idea.
- Warriors head coach Mark Jackson tweeted word last night that the team has brought Brian Scalabrine aboard as an assistant.
Knicks Talked To Pietrus, Childress; Brand Unlikely
10:48am: The Knicks have also spoken further to Mickael Pietrus, according to Zwerling (via Twitter). Pietrus is expected to return stateside in a couple weeks, and will work out for interested teams at that point, says Zwerling.
10:28am: As they continue to search for inexpensive bench help, the Knicks have explored the possibility of signing Josh Childress, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Zwerling reports (via Twitter) that the two sides have had discussions, and that Childress may be open to the veteran's minimum.
With only the mini mid-level exception and the minimum-salary exception at their disposal this summer, the Knicks have run into trouble adding veterans to the roster so far. The team reportedly had interest in players like Carlos Delfino, Francisco Garcia, and Will Bynum, but those three free agents, and many others, have already reached agreements with other clubs.
The Knicks have agreed to re-sign Pablo Prigioni using a portion of their mini MLE, so there's still about $1.7MM left on that exception. However, presumably if talks became serious with Childress, New York would push for a minimum-salary deal to maintain some flexibility. Still, even if the Knicks can hang on to the rest of the MLE, the team is unlikely to sign Elton Brand, according to Zwerling (Twitter link).
Childress, 30, appeared in 14 games with the Nets last season before the team released him.
Odds & Ends: Bell, Billups, Datome, Grizzlies
Knicks coach Mike Woodson is trying to convince Chauncey Billups to rejoin the club, sources tell Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). However, the veteran is unlikely to accept a minimum deal. The Knicks saw another one-guard target come off the board tonight when the Pistons agreed to a deal with Will Bynum. Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- Raja Bell worked out for the Knicks today and stood out to the point where he could receive consideration for a roster spot, a league source told Shams Charania of RealGM. Bell, who sat out all of last year, shot well and outplayed New York’s incoming rookies in one-on-one drills.
- Although an overseas report over the weekend suggested that the Grizzlies had made Italian forward Gigi Datome a contract offer, Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal says the two sides aren't close to a deal. Datome doesn't seem inclined to accept a one-year offer with his potential playing time in question, according to Tillery, who adds that he expects the Grizz to sign someone like Anthony Morrow (Twitter links).
- After checking in with the T'Wolves, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter) gets the sense that Metta World Peace isn't a fit in Minnesota. There's one caveat, however – Rick Adelman has yet to chime in and could conceivably fight for him. But right now, there's no interest there.
- The representatives for free agent center Jason Collins have only had preliminary discussions with teams, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). It's still early for the reserve center market and Collins probably has to wait for the bigger fish to sign before he can.
- C.J. Leslie's deal with the Knicks will be partially guaranteed until January 7th, even if he is cut or waived before that date and will be fully guaranteed after that date, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. New York signed the N.C. State product as an undrafted free agent. He was widely regarded as a mid-second round talent prior to draft night.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Bulls, Garcia, Cavs, Knicks
As a pair of Bynums continue to draw interest from Eastern Conference teams, let's check out a few more noteworthy items from around the East….
- Bulls GM Gar Forman has received plenty of calls this offseason from teams interested in discussing trades, but seems content to stand pat for one more year, writes Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Francisco Garcia's agent, Aaron Goodwin, tells Marc Berman of the New York Post (Twitter link) that his client turned down an offer from the Knicks in part due to avoid losing his Bird rights.
- The Cavaliers had interest in Nikola Pekovic, but the big man "wants to stay in Minnesota," a source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (Twitter link). For now, Cleveland appears to have shifted its attention to Andrew Bynum.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com passes along a few updates on the Knicks' potential free agent targets.
- Scott Soshnick of Bloomberg Sports reports (via Twitter) that the 76ers have hired former MSG Sports president Scott O'Neil as their new CEO, with the team confirming the move in a press release. Former CEO Adam Aron will remain a Sixers co-owner and board member. Frank Isola of the New York Daily News first reported in June that O'Neil was close to joining the club in an executive role.
Pistons Make Offer To Will Bynum
Last week, we heard that the Pistons were considering a number of free agent point guards, including Will Bynum, Jose Calderon, and Chauncey Billups. Calderon has since agreed to sign with the Mavs and Billups continues to receive interest from a handful of teams, but according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter), the Pistons have an offer on the table for Bynum.
Despite committing a good chunk of their available cap space to a deal for Josh Smith, the Pistons still have room left over to hang on to Bynum's cap hold and make him a competitive offer. As Zwerling notes in his tweet, unless the veteran guard is willing to take a discount, an offer from the Pistons likely rules out the possibility of him joining the Knicks. Zwerling had written earlier today that Bynum was one of New York's targets, but the team could only offer a starting salary of up to $1.7MM, or the veteran's minimum.
Bynum, 30, has spent his last five seasons in Detroit, averaging 8.4 PPG and 3.3 APG in 282 total contests.
Odds & Ends: Jamison, Stiemsma, Douglas, Telfair
We learned earlier today that the Clippers have interest in signing free agent Antawn Jamison, but the veteran might not fit into their plans so easily. The club is also targeting Lamar Odom and since they're unlikely to get both, it's a one-or-the-other scenario for the Clippers, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Here's more from around the Association..
- The agent for Greg Stiemsma told Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter) that there's still a chance that his client could return to the Wolves after being waived earlier today. The conversation Zgoda had made it seem as though the move was procedural and that there is still mutual interest in a new deal.
- Meanwhile, the Wolves continue to talk with Minnesota's own Alan Anderson, agent Mark Bartelstein told Zgoda (on Twitter).
- A source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) that Toney Douglas is being looked at by a couple of teams to fill a backup role. The Knicks could be in play for him as he offers defense, three point shooting, and a decent transition game.
- More from Zwerling (on Twitter) who says that Sebastian Telfair might not be in play for the Knicks after all due to financial reasons.
Odds & Ends: Morrow, Ellis, Rivers, Collison
Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- The Grizzlies, Warriors, and Bobcats are the latest teams to show interest in Anthony Morrow, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. The Lakers, Spurs, Suns, Rockets, and Knicks have all reached out as well.
- Nothing is imminent at this point between the Hawks and Monta Ellis, but the two sides are engaged in talks, Kennedy tweets.
- Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck took a shot at former coach Doc Rivers, telling Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that "Doc left us, period." Still, Grousbeck is confident his team can rebuild, as Bulpett observes in a separate piece.
- Many around the league are surprised that the Clippers were able to snag Darren Collison for a starting salary of just $1.9MM, Grantland's Zach Lowe tweets.
- The Spurs called 6'8" sharpshooter James Southerland to see if he would consider playing overseas next season if they took him with the 58th pick in last month's draft. Southerland turned down the offer and went undrafted, and is trying to prove himself with the Sixers and Warriors in summer league, as Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.
- Josh Smith's agreement with the Pistons shatters the notion that marquee free agents won't come to Detroit, observes MLive's David Mayo, who examines how Smith fits on the team and what moves might be next for Joe Dumars and company.
Atlantic Notes: Melo, Celtics, Rondo
The Celtics are in the process of rebuilding, and never was that more evident than in the hiring of 36-year-old Butler coach Brad Stevens. Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald writes that Celtics' management was impressed with Stevens' charm. They weren't the only ones, it appears.
Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe contends that unlike other college-to-professional coaching jumps, like that of former Celtics coach Rick Pitino, Stevens is different. Celtics general manager Danny Ainge tells Washburn that he has complete confidence turning the reigns of the Celtics' future over to the fresh-faced Stevens whose only coaching experience lies in his six years as head coach at Butler, after seven previous seasons as a Butler assistant coach.
Washburn went on to add that Stevens wowed assembled media personnel during his introductory press conference on Friday displaying "confidence, humility, and passion." But the Celtics have a lot more to do as they begin to reassemble a squad that had been at the forefront of the Eastern Conference since Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen joined Paul Pierce in the summer of 2007.
Below are some more Celtics links about moves they might make involving Rajon Rondo and others, as well as other tidbits from the rest of the Atlantic Division.
- Nate Duncan of HoopsWorld believes now is the time for the Celtics to trade their All-Star point guard despite a contract that's considered frugal after he signed a five-year extension for $55MM in October of 2009. Rondo's also been said to be keeping an open mind after the hiring of Stevens.
- With so much of the Celtics' future still up in the air, it's natural that Celtics' players still on the roster would be stressed. But guard Courtney Lee isn't sweating all the summer wheelings and dealings with his team this summer, writes the Boston Herald's Steve Bulpett.
- One player who knows Brad Stevens all too well, is former Gonzaga big and Celtics rookie, Kelly Olynyk. The rookie Olynyk's 8th-ranked Gonzaga team lost to Stevens' 11th-ranked Butler squad back in January, writes ESPNBoston's Chris Forsberg.
- Brad Stevens wasn't the only head coach without any prior NBA head coaching experience hired this summer. The recently retired Jason Kidd, and former off-guard Brian Shaw, will also be rookie NBA head coaches this coming NBA season, writes the New York Daily News' Mitch Lawrence.
- Lawrence's fellow colleague at the Daily News, Frank Isola, writes that the recent Knicks trade for embattled Raptors power forward Andrea Bargnani provides "Il Mago" with a second chance in the NBA after coming over from Italy as the number one pick in the 2006 draft.
- Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com notes that Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire will meet with Hakeem Olajuwon over the summer to train, but mentions in a tweet that Tyson Chandler won't be joining them.
Free Agent Rumors: Bynum, Teague, Kirilenko
Free agents continue to reach deals with teams across the NBA in advance of Wednesday, when agreements can become official. Here's the latest on the moves that could be next:
- The Mavs were in contact with Andrew Bynum even before Dwight Howard turned them down, and Stein tweets that Dallas is indeed pursuing the oft-injured Bynum now that Howard is out of the picture. Still, the Mavs will make a detailed and careful evaluation of the big man's health before reaching an agreement, according to Stein.
- Jeff Teague's camp is becoming increasingly frustrated with the Hawks, who have yet to engage in meaningful negotiations on a new deal, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The point guard is a restricted free agent, so Atlanta controls his destiny.
- The Kings aren't considering Andrei Kirilenko, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
- The Knicks remain in play for Elton Brand, as do other teams, but a decision could come this weekend, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
- The Jazz and Grizzlies also made offers to Dorell Wright, who wound up agreeing to join the Blazers instead, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The Thunder also made an offer, as previously reported, Haynes notes.
- Decision makers within the Blazers front office have led The Oregonian's Joe Freeman to expect that the team won't re-sign Elliot Williams (Twitter link).
- Joe Dumars, fresh off his agreement to sign Josh Smith, has his sights on a perimeter sharpshooter for the Pistons, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (on Twitter). Keith Langlois of Pistons.com agrees, and hints that the team could hit the trade market as well (Twitter link).