Kyler On Magic, Turkoglu, Bucks, Ellis, Sanders
As we noted yesterday, the Magic lost an asset this weekend, when the team let the $17.8MM trade exception created by last August's Dwight Howard deal expire unused. As Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld explains in his latest piece, Orlando explored a few possible uses for the exception. Ultimately though, it didn't make a whole lot of sense to take on additional salary when the club is already paying substantial amounts to players no longer on the roster. Here's more from Kyler:
- The Magic are still talking to Hedo Turkoglu about a buyout, but there's a belief that he may have some value at the trade deadline as a big expiring contract. As such, he may remain on the roster beyond opening night, says Kyler.
- Orlando remains undecided on what to do with second-round pick Romero Osby, who the team has said could earn a spot on the roster. If the Magic extend a training camp invitation to Osby, they'd have to either sign or waive him.
- According to Kyler, the Bucks offered Monta Ellis a four-year, $46MM contract in free agency last month. If those numbers are accurate, they signal how uninterested Ellis was in remaining in Milwaukee, since he eventually settled for a three-year deal from the Mavericks worth about $20MM less.
- The Bucks continue to discuss an extension with Larry Sanders, and Kyler says it sounds like Sanders could get the sort of deal Ellis didn't — something that could be worth up to $46-50MM for four years, depending on incentives.
Magic Let $17.8MM Trade Exception Expire
The Magic seem to have done as well as, if not better than, any of the four teams involved in last year's Dwight Howard/Andrew Bynum trade, but yesterday they lost a significant asset they acquired through the blockbuster deal. Orlando's massive $17,816,880 trade exception lapsed when the team failed to use it by the end of yesterday, the one-year anniversary of the day the Magic relinquished their star center. The Magic could have used the exception to absorb salary in a trade without having to come up with matching salaries in return.
The expiration comes as no shock, since Magic GM Rob Hennigan has steadfastly sacrificed the present for the future, and bringing aboard a player or group of players making such a sizable chunk of money could compromise that effort. Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel wrote a couple of weeks ago that the exception would likely go unused, and without rumors linking the Magic to a major trade this summer, it's been apparent for a while that the exception would probably expire.
Hennigan and company were aggressively pursuing trades during the season, and while they pulled off a pair of deadline swaps, neither of them involved the team dipping into the Howard trade exception. The Magic never seemed destined to use the full amount to acquire a player on a high-dollar contract, but I'm surprised they didn't use at least a small portion of it to bring in a veteran on a short-term deal or a young player with room for improvement.
The precise amount of the exception was derived from subtracting Nikola Vucevic's $1,719,480 salary for 2012/13 from Howard's $19,536,360 pay last season, as Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors explained in detail. For more information about trade exceptions, check out our glossary entry.
Several Teams In Mix For Anthony Tolliver
FRIDAY, 2:58pm: Rather than narrowing down his list of suitors, Tolliver seems to be heading in the other direction. The Magic, Spurs, and Knicks are also interested in him, according to Tomasson (via Twitter). Still, Tolliver expects to make a decision next week.
THURSDAY, 3:16pm: The Lakers have entered the mix for Tolliver, writes Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (via Sulia). According to Tolliver, talks with the Lakers are still preliminary, but he's considering them alongside the Bobcats, Bulls, and Jazz. Tolliver added that he visited Charlotte on Monday and the team made him a minimum-salary contract offer.
WEDNESDAY, 1:08pm: Anthony Tolliver has narrowed his free agent decision down to three teams, and is expected to finalize a deal this weekend, according to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Sierra reports that Tolliver will likely sign with either the Bobcats, Bulls, or Jazz.
Tolliver, 28, spent the 2012/13 season with the Hawks, averaging 4.1 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 62 contests (15.5 MPG). The last report we heard on Tolliver came nearly a month ago, and suggested that the 6'8" forward was in talks with five teams, including Atlanta.
Utah still has a little cap space left, along with its room exception, but Charlotte and Chicago appear to be capped out. As such, it looks like Tolliver will sign another minimum-salary deal, unless the Jazz outbid the other two finalists.
Al Harrington, DeShawn Stevenson Clear Waivers
Al Harrington and DeShawn Stevenson became unrestricted free agents this afternoon when they cleared waivers, as expected, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Magic released Harrington on Friday, not long before the Hawks did the same with Stevenson.
Stevenson, a Wasserman Media Group client, took to Twitter to express his desire to sign with the Heat, and while Harrington hasn't been so quick to get into specifics, he said at multiple times last season that he wants to play five more seasons in the NBA. The 33-year-old missed most of 2012/13 with a staph infection in his knee, and batted down an early-season retirement rumor, but he was a key piece of the Nuggets bench in 2011/12, averaging 14.2 points and 6.1 rebounds a game with a 15.3 PER.
Stevenson's minutes-per-game average this past season was the highest its been since 2008/09. He came to the Hawks as part of the Joe Johnson deal in a sign-and-trade, and sign-and-trade contracts must be for three seasons in length. Still, the final two years were non-guaranteed, prompting Atlanta to cut Stevenson loose.
Harrington had two more years remaining on his contract, too, but they were 50% guaranteed. The Magic still have to pay out $7,379,200 to the Dan Fegan client, minus whatever small amount they can recoup via set-off rights if Harrington signs with another team.
Odds & Ends: Pekovic, Adelman, Johnson, Sixers
Timberwolves president of basketball ops Flip Saunders remains optimistic that the club will soon re-sign Nikola Pekovic, and tells Sid Hartman of the Star Tribune that he's trying to explain the thought process behind the team's offer to the big man and his camp. Saunders stopped short of confirming that coach Rick Adelman will be back for this coming season, but echoed owner Glen Taylor's comments from last month, saying that he's optimstic that Adelman will return. There's more from Minnesota and other NBA locales in tonight's roundup:
- The Wolves reached out to Ivan Johnson's camp earlier this summer, but the team has since moved on, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link).
- The Sixers received permission last month to interview Bulls assistant coach Ed Pinckney, and the interview has indeed taken place, observes Keith Pompey of the Philadelphia Inquirer, who names David Vanterpool, Michael Curry, and Jay Larranaga as the other "serious candidates" behind front-runner Brett Brown.
- A multitude of conflicting recent reports left it unclear whether 53rd overall pick Colton Iverson would play overseas or join the Celtics this season, but a source tells Jay King of MassLive.com that Iverson has signed his one-year deal with Besiktas of Turkey.
- DeMarre Carroll indicated on Twitter tonight that he's inked his deal with the Hawks. The team is expected to make a formal announcement Saturday, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
- LeBron James has "serious reservations" about whether he can take on the presidency of the union, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com, who nonetheless supports the MVP's candidacy, even as sources describe James as unlikely to take the job.
- The Magic didn't strike a buyout agreement before they waived Al Harrington today, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel confirms. That means the team is stuck paying the guaranteed portion of his contract, minus whatever it can recoup via set-off rights.
- Pac 12 commissioner Larry Scott wants to see the end of the "one-and-done" rule for NBA draft eligibility, and Matt Norlander of CBSSports.com wonders if incoming NBA commissioner Adam Silver will make a push for change on that front.
Southeast Notes: Magic, Wizards, Heat, Hawks
The Hawks acquired five players in the Joe Johnson trade last summer, and with their release of DeShawn Stevenson today, none of the five remain on the team's roster, as Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution points out via Twitter. GM Danny Ferry has radically reshaped the club in little more than a year, and the Stevenson move wasn't Atlanta's only transaction of the day, as we detail amid other news from the Southeast Division:
- Magic owner Rich DeVos is 87 years old, but he has no plans to sell the club, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel writes in an early Eastern Conference preview. Instead, he has given his four children shares of the Magic with the intent that the family will continue to own the team for decades to come.
- The Magic would like to pursue a one-to-one affiliation with a D-League team that would be stationed in Florida, but obstacles are in the way, Robbins reports in the same piece. Orlando will be one of six teams sharing the Fort Wayne Mad Ants this season. Ideally, the Magic want to have a "hybrid" partnership, wherein they'd run the D-League team's basketball operations while local ownership took care of the business side.
- The Wizards seem likely to push for one of the final three playoff spots in the East, and owner Ted Leonsis believes a postseason berth would be a significant help to the team's hopes of signing a marquee free agent, observes Michael Lee of The Washington Post.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel believes that with so many teams with an eye on the lottery, buyouts could come earlier than usual this season. Winderman figures the Heat will be active in the market for bought-out players.
- Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer completed his staff Friday, hiring Jim Thomas as an assistant, the team announced. Thomas had been serving as a scout for the Thunder.
Magic Waive Al Harrington
The Magic announced that they have put Al Harrington on waivers. Harrington's contract called for him to earn a $7.149MM next season and $7.6MM in 2014/15, but both seasons were only half-guaranteed.
Orlando will now be on the hook for the amount owed to him, less whatever he signs for elsewhere. The veteran has career averaged of 13.7 PPG and 5.7 RPG across 15 NBA seasons but played just ten games with the Magic last season.
Last week, Harrington acknowledged that he was likely to be traded or bought out by the Magic, but explained that he feels healthier than ever and is ready to contribute for whatever team he plays for in 2013/14.
"Whatever situation I can get to where I can help a team win, that's what I want to do," Harrington said. "I don't want to play 36 minutes or none of that. Play 20, 25 minutes, just help mentor the young guys and stuff like that."
Harrington is a client of Relativity Sports and is represented by Dan Fegan, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Odds & Ends: Harrington, Ebanks, Mo Williams
Al Harrington recognizes that he's a candidate to be traded or bought out by the Magic, but tells Sam Amick of USA Today that he's healthier and believes he can still contribute, wherever he lands.
"Whatever situation I can get to where I can help a team win, that's what I want to do," Harrington said. "I don't want to play 36 minutes or none of that. Play 20, 25 minutes, just help mentor the young guys and stuff like that."
Here's more from around the NBA:
- Former Laker Devin Ebanks has received interest from the Hawks, Bucks, Bobcats, and Nuggets, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- In his latest column on the Suns, Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic says that agent Arn Tellem was "five minutes away" from a deal for J.J. Redick with another team before the Suns and Clippers proposed the three-team trade that sent him to Los Angeles. Coro also notes that the Pacers had expressed interest in Luis Scola for months before acquiring him.
- Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien met with Mo Williams today in Memphis, tweets Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- Within an excellent piece on the Thunder, Grantland's Zach Lowe shares a few interesting details on Kevin Durant's max contract and Oklahoma City's cap and tax situation.
International Notes: Turkoglu, Bogdanovic
Could James White be taking off for a trip to China? Yesterday, we learned that the well-traveled 30-year-old could be headed back overseas as he mulls over all of his options. The small forward has career averages of 2.7 PPG and 1.0 RPG, but his real hoops legacy comes in the form of highlight reel dunks. Let’s take a trip around the globe for today’s international news..
- Hedo Turkoglu wants to record 1,000 games played before his NBA career ends, and then he intends to play for either Fenerbahce Ulker or Anadolu Efes in his native Turkey, as he tells Ajansspor.com (translation via HoopsHype). Turkoglu is entering the final season of his contract with the Magic. He’s played 895 regular season games, which would mean he’ll need to play beyond 2013/14 if he wants to hit 1,000, unless he’s counting the 93 playoff games in which he’s taken part.
- Bojan Bogdanovic tells Gol.hr that even though his deal with the Nets fell apart this summer, he still intends to play for Brooklyn at some point. His contract with Fenerbahce Ulker in Turkey is set to expire next summer (translation via NetsDaily).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Eastern Notes: Price, Magic, Antic, Raptors, C’s
Ronnie Price's minimum-salary contract with the Magic was originally reported as a one-year deal, but in his latest update of the team's books at ShamSports.com, Mark Deeks notes that Price will actually be locked up for two years. The second season will be non-guaranteed, with Orlando having the chance to avoid Price's cap hit if he's released on or before July 10th, 2014. Here are more Magic notes, more contract details from Deeks, and more items from around the Eastern Conference:
- While it's been a fairly quiet offseason for the Magic, the team still needs to resolve a few outstanding issues, says Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Among Robbins' tidbits: The team is making sure there are no possible trades involving Hedo Turkoglu and Al Harrington before getting serious about buyouts; the club's $17.8MM Dwight Howard trade exception will likely go unused; and the Magic were never as interested in Eric Bledsoe as various reports suggested.
- Pero Antic's contract with the Hawks is worth a guaranteed $1.2MM for 2013/14 and a non-guaranteed $1.25MM in '14/15, notes Deeks.
- In his latest update of the Raptors' salaries, Deeks points out that the second and third years of Quentin Richardson's new contract with Toronto will become guaranteed if he's not waived by January 1st, 2014. In other words, there's no chance that Richardson sticks on the team's roster all season. The Raps will likely release the veteran prior to opening night.
- J. Michael of CSNWashington.com explores a few possible options for the Wizards' 15th roster spot.
- New Celtics head coach Brad Stevens appeared on WEEI's Green Street podcast, and provided plenty of interesting quotes on a variety of Celtics-related topics. Ben Rohrbach of WEEI.com passes along the highlights.