Pacers, Bucks, Knicks Eyeing Tony Allen
The Grizzlies will meet with Tony Allen soon in an attempt to keep the unrestricted free agent from the Pacers, Bucks and Knicks, who are in pursuit, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Clippers coach Doc Rivers, in charge of the team's front office, would love to work with Allen again after doing so when they were both Celtics, but it's not clear how competitive an offer from L.A. would be, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link).
Allen was a member of the All-Defensive First Team this season, and has built a reputation as one of the most fearsome perimeter defenders in the league. The 31-year-old has only averaged double figures in scoring once during his nine-year career, and his 26.7 minutes per game this past season were a career high. Still, his teams have traditionally been among the best in the NBA, and some of the hardest to score against.
The Raymond Brothers client has said he believes he'll remain in Memphis, but understands that the Grizzlies may not come up with enough money to keep him. Allen made $3.3MM in 2012/13, but when I examined his free agent stock in April, I thought he would probably merit offers with a starting salary around $5.15MM, the value of the mid-level exception. That would put the taxpaying Knicks out of the running, unless they can clear a hefty amount of salary from their books. A report last month indicated the Cavs were also interested in Allen, and they, like the rest of the teams said to be chasing Allen, have greater flexibility.
Knicks Rumors: Will Bynum, Watson, Harris, Brand
The Knicks are expected to be well into the luxury tax for next season, but that won't stop them from trying to improve their team, especially given the allure of the Madison Square Garden spotlight. Here's the latest:
- The Knicks are looking for a point guard to replace the retired Jason Kidd, and have Will Bynum, C.J. Watson and Devin Harris on their radar, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post, who identifies Bynum as tops on that list. They're also looking for a backup big man, with Elton Brand and Lamar Odom under consideration, along with incumbent Kenyon Martin.
- J.R. Smith believes he'll get an offer that exceeds the maximum of approximately $5.4MM that the Knicks can give him, Berman adds. The Bucks, Pistons and Suns are considering Smith.
- The Knicks are resigned to the idea that Chris Copeland will sign elsewhere for more money, according to Berman. More than half a dozen other NBA teams are chasing Copeland. Berman believes the team may try to work out a sign-and-trade involving Copeland that would net a trade exception around $4MM, allowing the Knicks to bring aboard another player that way. The Knicks are also open to the idea of trading Steve Novak, Berman writes.
- The Knicks like Mike Dunleavy and Marco Belinelli, but they're prioritizing a point guard instead with their mini mid-level, according to Berman.
- GM Glen Grunwald and company hope proven veterans will become available in trades, and likely would be willing to part with anyone other than Carmelo Anthony for the right deal, Newsday's Al Iannazzone reports.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Haslem, Mavericks
Dwight Howard's upcoming courtship with a host of teams, both longshots and more realistic destinations, is the talk of the league tonight and probably will be moving forward as we come up on the start of the NBA's free agency period, starting with the July moratorium from the 1st to the 9th.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports put a column up earlier tonight stipulating that Howard's first discussion will be with a large, and star-studded coterie of the Rockets' former Hall-of-Famers, current stars, coaches and executives, but next up will be with the Warriors and Hawks on Monday and Mavericks and Lakers on Tuesday.
ESPNLosAngeles.com's Arash Markazi believes it'll be former coach, Phil Jackson, and his fiancee Jeanie Buss, who could be the final piece as to whether or not Howard stays with the Lakers or leaves for one of the other teams with the cap room to absorb a max deal (Twitter). Phil recently met with Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak, but both remained tight-lipped about what they discussed in that meeting (Twitter).
Let's look at more from Howard and others from around the league in yet another helter-skelter night in the NBA:
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the Warriors are long shots in their bid to acquire Howard, and they'd likely have to dismantle some of the nucleus that reached the Western Conference Semifinals this past postseason. Kawakami also notes that despite their long odds at landing the big man, Warriors owner Joe Lacob has won a mini-victory just earning a spot on Dwight's free agency list this summer (Twitter).
- Another possible Howard destination is with the Mavericks, and Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that any possible trade for the Celtics' Rajon Rondo would have to wait until after the Mavericks secure Howard because of salary cap stipulations.
- If Howard doesn't sign with the Mavs, Eddie Sefko of the Dallas Morning News has plans for other free agent signings for the team this offseason.
- Udonis Haslem revealed to the Associated Press today that he spent the second half of last season with the Heat suffering from a torn meniscus in his knee, which will require surgery soon. He's expected to be ready for training camp in the fall.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel notes that the Magic will guarantee guard E'Twaun Moore's contract for next season, after opting not to extend a qualifying offer to DeQuan Jones.
- Al Iannazzone of Newsday says the Knicks GM Glen Grunwald will have to get creative this offseason if he's going to improve the Knicks' roster.
- Michael Lee of the Washington Post reports the Wizards have promoted Pat Sullivan to assistant coach.
- The newly-named Pelicans will look at small forwards in free agency this offseason, writes John Reid of the Times-Picayune.
Atlantic Notes: Copeland, Pierce, Nets, Raptors
Chris Copeland is a restricted free agent this summer after the Knicks offered him a qualifying offer for one year at $988,872 on June 26th. Shams Charania of RealGM.com reports that the 6'8" Copeland would like to remain in a Knicks uniform despite interest from other NBA teams and overseas clubs, like FC Barcelona. Copeland's agent, John Spencer, told Charania:
"Returning is very much an option […] He turned down several options to play, turned down enormous money to get an NBA opportunity last year. He wants to play and wants to contribute. The Knicks are a good organization, with Mike Woodson and the list goes on.
“There’s a chance another team will potentially pick him up, obviously, but the Knicks gave Chris the opportunity to play and he’s loyal because of that.”
The Knicks would only be able to offer Copeland the mini midlevel exception if he returned next season. There's more from Knicks-land, including their escalating rivalry with the team across the East River, who made a splash with a certain blockbuster trade on draft night.
- Marc Berman at the New York Post says the Knicks aren't ready to relinquish supremacy of New York quite yet, despite the Nets' splashy moves to acquire Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. But they'll have to make some counter moves if they want to compete with the refurbished Brooklyn squad.
- Roderick Boone at Newsday writes that with the addition of Pierce and Garnett after the NBA's moratorium ends on July 9th, the Nets will be well over the NBA's salary cap, which limits any more moves by GM Billy King.
- Gary Dzen of the Boston Globe says goodbye to Celtics all-timer Paul Pierce.
- Amar'e Stoudemire made a bid on the Israeli basketball team Hapoel Jerusalem, reports ESPNNewYork's Jared Zwerling.
- About the possible Raptors–Clippers trade for Eric Bledsoe, Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com says (Twitter) that a Bledsoe and Caron Butler swap for Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan works, via ESPN's trade machine, but RealGM tweeted back that the salaries wouldn't be within 125% and $100,000 by July 1st, so the Clippers would need to send more.
New York Notes: Nets, Garnett, Knicks, Howard
Here's the latest out of New York, where the Nets have managed to capture the backpages of the tabloids..
- Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov isn't afraid to gamble with the team's future in order to win right now, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday. While Garnett and Pierce can't be expected to produce as they did in their primes, something has to be said for Brooklyn's gusto in acquiring them.
- The Knicks' summer league squad, which will feature Iman Shumpert and rookie Tim Hardaway Jr., figures to be among the best this year, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- The Nets dodged a bullet by not landing Dwight Howard last summer, writes Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News. Lawrence would prefer to see Kevin Garnett crawling up and down the Nets' court rather than watch the inconsistent efforts of Howard.
- According to the Jerusalem Post, Amare Stoudemire is in talks to join a group purchasing Israeli basketball club Hapoel Jerusalem. The big man spent a portion of the 2010 offseason exploring his Jewish roots in Israel.
Knicks Close To Acquiring Andrea Bargnani
The Knicks are on the verge of landing Andrea Bargnani in a trade with the Raptors, a source tells Howard Beck of the New York Times. The Knicks are offering Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, a first-round pick, and a second-round pick for the Italian big man.
Several teams have pursued Bargnani, but the Knicks have emerged as the “strong favorites” to land him, and an agreement could come soon, the source said. The former No. 1 overall pick has career averages of 15.2 PPG and 4.8 RPG in seven NBA seasons. He’s owed $22.25MM over the next two seasons.
Moving Barngani would be the first major move by new Raptors decision-maker Masai Ujiri. Outgoing GM Bryan Colangelo was open about his desire in past years to move Bargnani, but no deal ever materialized for him.
Minor Moves: Nuggets, Leslie, Pressey, Daniels
With the 2013 draft in the books, there are still plenty of intriguing prospects that were not among the 60 players who heard their names called on Thursday night. Many of those guys will be snapped up quickly for Summer League rosters, while others could sign outright with an NBA team.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported a handful of signings late last night, and it's my understanding that these are actual free-agent contracts rather than just Summer League invites, though that's not entirely clear. Either way, the agreements will provide these undrafted free agents a chance to audition for a possible NBA roster spot. Here's a recap:
- Kennedy has corrected his earlier report (linked below), tweeting that Harris is simply playing for the Nuggets in Summer League action, and not signing with the team yet. I imagine that may be the case for Howell and some of the other players listed below as well, though it seems as if Covington, at least, will ink an actual contract with the Rockets. We'll likely have to wait until July for official word.
Earlier updates:
- Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld reports (via Twitter) that undrafted free agents Richard Howell and C.J. Harris will sign with the Nuggets. Again, players don't necessarily have to be under contract with a team to play for a Summer League squad, so Kennedy's wording suggests that Howell and Harris will ink deals to earn a pair of Denver's 20 summer roster spots, though that's not 100% certain.
- Former N.C. State forward C.J. Leslie has reached an agreement on a deal with the Knicks, reports Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Leslie had been ranked the 40th-best prospect available by Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com and 41st by ESPN.com's Chad Ford.
- Phil Pressey, a 5'11" point guard out of Missouri, has reached an agreement on a deal with the Celtics, tweets Wojnarowski. Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe reported last night that Boston figured to "immediately go after" Pressey once he went undrafted.
- Former VCU guard Troy Daniels has agreed to a free agent deal with the Bobcats, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter). Daniels averaged 12.3 PPG and shot 40.3% on three-pointers in his final season with the Rams.
- Rodney Williams, Ford's 80th overall prospect in this year's class, has agreed to a deal with the 76ers, tweets Wojnarowski. The 21-year-old forward is coming off four years at the University of Minnesota.
- Robert Covington will sign a two-year, partially-guaranteed contract with the Rockets, reports Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com (via Twitter). According to Givony's sources, the guarantee for the former Tennessee State forward will be "substantial" — likely around $150K.
Atlantic Notes: Humphries, Copeland, Knicks, C’s
Here's the latest out of the Atlantic Division on draft night:
- Chris Mannix of SI.com says (via Twitter) that rival executives are skeptical Kris Humphries will remain with the Celtics after the Nets/C's blockbuster goes through. Mannix points to the Bobcats as a potential team to watch, which makes sense, since there were rumblings in the past about a possible Humphries/Ben Gordon swap.
- The Celtics are among the teams expected to inquire on Chris Copeland, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Knicks GM Glen Grunwald hinted that he attempted to acquire a second-round pick tonight but was unable to do so, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Look for the Celtics to "immediately go after" Phil Pressey after the Missouri guard went undrafted, says Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
- Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv tweets that Lamont Jones will sign as an undrafted free agent with the Celtics, though it's not clear if he'll just be on Boston's Summer League team, or if he'll receive a training camp invite.
Berger On Knicks, Spurs, Plumlee, Hawks, C’s
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com is passing along a number of draft-night updates via Twitter, so let's dive in and check out the latest from him….
- The Knicks figure to keep their first-round pick and will likely target the best available shooting guard at No. 24. Berger suggests Jamaal Franklin or Allen Crabbe.
- With the Spurs hoping to get younger and more athletic, teams view Tony Mitchell and Lucas Nogueira as possibilities for San Antonio at No. 28.
Earlier updates:
- Mason Plumlee is a "strong possibility" for the Hawks at No. 17 or 18, according to Berger. The team's other pick would likely be a draft-and-stash international player.
- Jamaal Franklin has drawn interest from the Hawks, Bulls, Knicks, and Clippers.
- Berger says that NBA teams are eager to see what the Celtics do at No. 16. If Boston drafts a point guard, it could be an indication that the club is open to trading Rajon Rondo as part of its rebuild.
- On the other hand, if the Celtics intend to rebuild around Rondo, rival teams believe Reggie Bullock is a likely target for the C's at No. 16.
- The Pacers (No. 23), Clippers (25), Wolves (26), and Nuggets (27) are teams who could end up moving their first-round picks.
Atlantic Notes: Frank, Celtics, Knicks, Rivers
After taking a look at the Knicks and Nets earlier today, we learned that the Celtics are discussing a blockbuster that could send Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to Brooklyn. Here’s the latest out of the Atlantic Division..
- Lawrence Frank has agreed to join the Nets as an assistant on Jason Kidd‘s staff, tweets Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Steve Novak might be the one guy that the Knicks could move tonight in order to move up in the draft or acquire second-round picks, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. The sharpshooter is owed roughly $11MM over the next three seasons.
- Doc Rivers claims that he didn’t push the Celtics to pull the trigger on the deal that sent him to the Clippers, writes Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe.
- In a less-sexy transaction, the Celtics would like to pick up an additional second-round pick, tweets A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com. Target teams include the Blazers, Hawks, and Cavs.
- The Knicks will be hard-pressed to find a key contributor with the No. 24 pick, but they better choose wisely as financial constraints will hurt their ability to add to the roster going forward, writes Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal.