Carmelo Anthony Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Heat Notes: LeBron, ‘Melo, 2016, Allen

July 31st, 2014 at 10:10am CST by Chuck Myron

Heat team president Pat Riley went after free agents this year with the idea that LeBron James would return to the team, and he sold potential signees on that notion, as he told reporters, including Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Still, Riley said James didn’t answer frequent emails and texts that he sent in an effort to recruit him back to Miami, Jackson notes. That suggests that the only communication between the two took place when James met with Riley a few days before he made his decision to sign with the Cavs, as Jackson details. We rounded up several key passages from Riley’s address on Wednesday, and we’ll pass along other noteworthy tidbits here among the latest Heat-related news:

Riley called Leon Rose, the agent for Carmelo Anthony, after LeBron left, but, “We were a little bit late to that party,” Riley said, as Jackson writes in the same piece. Anthony had already finished meeting with other teams, and he made his decision to re-sign with the Knicks the day after LeBron made his choice.
The team will be focused on making a splash in free agency in 2016, Riley said, adding that it would have been the plan even if LeBron had remained, according to Jackson.
Riley said the Heat will keep Justin Hamilton through Friday, when his non-guaranteed contract becomes partially guaranteed for more than $400K, as Jackson notes.
Miami hasn’t given up hope of re-signing free agent Ray Allen, tweets Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post. Riley said he’s remained in contact with Allen’s agent, Jim Tanner, Jackson writes.
Riley confirmed that Miami has spoken with Michael Beasley‘s people about re-signing with the team, Lieser tweets. “He’s still a consideration, absolutely,” Riley said. Beasley reportedly auditioned for the Lakers on Wednesday.
The team is also still thinking about re-signing Greg Oden, Riley added, as Jackson notes. Jackson reported last week that the Heat were non-committal about bringing back Beasley and Oden.
Guard Tyler Johnson impressed during a summer league stint with the Heat and is drawing interest from multiple NBA teams, a source tells Hoops Rumors.

Central Notes: Rose, Van Gundy, Waiters

July 29th, 2014 at 7:05pm CST by Ryan Raroque

As Derrick Rose inches closer toward his return to NBA action in 2014/15 following a season-ending injury last season, Kevin Pelton of ESPN explains why the Bulls superstar is better preparing himself by starting his adjustment period against some of the league’s best point guards in Team USA camp rather than waiting until Bulls training camp in the fall to begin playing at a high level (Insiders only). With that aside, here’s more of what we’ve gathered out of the Central Division this evening:

Rose outlined what his pitch to Carmelo Anthony had been as he spoke with reporters, including Kurt Helin of NBCSports.com. Rose’s message was simple, but it was seemingly more than just the brief hello that one report had indicated was the extent of the contact between the two stars.
Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy acknowledged that the team had to be more aggressive in its pitches to free agents this summer because of its lack of success on the court of late, as Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press notes.
Dion Waiters and Andrew Wiggins have both been in plenty of trade chatter, but if they both remain with the Cavs, only one of them seems likely to start. Waiters isn’t demanding that he be the starter, but he’s resolute in his belief that he’s the man for the job, as he tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com.
Doug McDermott is aware that his name is being attached in trade talks regarding Kevin Love; however, Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes that the Bulls rookie hasn’t asked the front office to keep him updated on those rumors as he waits to see what happens.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Scott, Prigioni, Parker

July 27th, 2014 at 12:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

While he believes that Byron Scott is a good coach, Tom Ziller of SB Nation doesn’t think Scott will solve the Lakers problems. Ziller also believes Los Angeles made a “typical coaching carousel signing” in picking up Scott, whom Ziller describes as “an undervalued, affordable coach” despite the team’s ability to afford any coach they wanted.

Here’s more from around the league:

Donatas Motiejunas, when discussing former teammate Chandler Parsons who left the Rockets to sign a three-year, $46.08MM deal with the Mavericks, told Simonas Baranauskas of Lithuania Basket (Twitter link), “He’s a good player, but would it be logical for management to pay him more than James Harden?” Houston declined to match the offer sheet Parsons had signed with the Mavs.
With the NBA discussing extending the All-Star break to seven days, Zach Lowe of Grantland (Twitter links) thinks the league should first look to adjust the amount of regular season games played, and doesn’t think the longer break would be a positive if it meant more back-to-back games, or beginning the season at an earlier date.
Pablo Prigioni is glad to be re-united with former Spanish League teammate Jose Calderon on the Knicks, writes Marc Berman of The New York Post. Prigioni believes Calderon will be able to help New York, saying, “We played together in Spain and we did really well. He is a great player and very good professional, a great 3-point shooting guy. He can run the team and read the game very well and is a good defender. He has all that a good point guard must have.”
In the same article, Prigioni also expressed his positive feelings towards Carmelo Anthony re-signing with the Knicks, saying, “When I saw Melo re-sign, the first thing I did was send him a message saying that I was so happy to have a chance to still play with him. And I told him that I’m sure we will play much better next season.”
Bill Ingram of Basketball Insiders believes that Bucks first-rounder Jabari Parker will have the biggest impact of any rookie this coming season, as well as take home Rookie Of The Year honors.

And-Ones: ‘Melo, Irving, Rockets, Mavs

July 25th, 2014 at 5:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

Carmelo Anthony spent his free agency largely debating between signing with either the Knicks or the Bulls, though the Lakers were briefly his top choice, as he told Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com. New York gave him much more lucrative contract than the Bulls could have, but the star forward insisted money wasn’t his primary motivation and said he believes the Knicks are closer to contention than widely assumed, as Goodman writes. Anthony also hinted that he wants to remain with the Knicks for the rest of his career. Here’s more from around the league:

Kyrie Irving‘s extension with the Cavs will only provide for a starting salary equal to approximately 27.5% of the cap, rather than the maximum 30%, if he triggers the Derrick Rose Rule this coming season, reports Mark Deeks of ShamSports (Twitter link). It’s similar to the concession Paul George made when he, too, signed an otherwise maximum-salary extension with the Pacers last year.
Rockets GM Daryl Morey called the protected 2015 first-round pick he acquired from the Pelicans in the Omer Asik deal “the best draft pick in the league for someone to trade for,” as the GM said to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. It’s protected for the top three and the bottom 11 picks each year through 2018 and the top three and the bottom six picks in 2019 and 2020, as RealGM details.
The Mavs were among the NBA teams that invited undrafted Syracuse combo forward C.J. Fair to training camp, but none of them offered any guaranteed money, which is apparently behind Fair’s decision to change agents, writes Mike Waters of The Post-Standard. Fair dropped Torrel Harris in favor of Joel Bell for his representation, as Guido Guida of La Gazzetta Dello Sport was first to report (Twitter link).
The Knicks invited summer league power forward Cameron Moore to training camp, but he agreed to terms earlier this month with Venezia of Italy, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter).
Andres Nocioni has signed with Real Madrid of Spain, the team announced (translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The eight-year NBA veteran had reportedly been receiving interest from teams interested in bringing him back to the Association, but he’s decided to remain overseas.

And-Ones: Bledsoe, Love, Hinkie, Murry

July 20th, 2014 at 12:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Eric Bledsoe is the top remaining player still unsigned, though as a restricted free agent the Suns have the right to match any offer sheet that Bledsoe agrees to. Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic looks at why Bledsoe hasn’t received any offers, and examines the player’s options going forward. Bickley also opines that Bledsoe is risking alienating the fans in Phoenix by turning down the Suns’ four-year, $48MM deal.

Here’s more from around the league:

George Karl told Jerry Zgoda of The Star Tribune that the Wolves can’t afford to pass on trading Kevin Love for Andrew Wiggins and Anthony Bennett, if the Cavs are truly offering that package (via Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer’s tweet). Karl coached through a tumultuous season with the Nuggets when Carmelo Anthony eventually received his desired trade to the Knicks.
Every year when the dust settles and the free agent signings begin to wind down there are winners and losers. Sam Amick and Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today weigh in on this year’s successes and disappointments.
The Thunder‘s Josh Huestis might become the NBA’s first domestic “draft-and-stash” player, writes Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman. If Huestis does skip signing with the Thunder and heads directly to the NBA D-League, it could signal a major shift in the future of the D-League and how it’s utilized, notes Mayberry.
Sixers GM Sam Hinkie‘s rebuilding plan might not be popular in Philadelphia as the losses keep piling up. Jason Wolf of USA Today profiles the GM, as well as takes a look at the moves he’s made so far in his efforts to retool the franchise.
The Jazz are interested in signing free agent Toure’ Murry, tweets Aaron Falk of The Salt Lake Tribune. Falk notes that Murry might be waiting for an offer from the Heat. The Knicks had also expressed interest in bringing Murry back, but currently have a logjam in the backcourt.

Cray Allred contributed to this post.

Carmelo Anthony To Re-Sign With Knicks

July 16th, 2014 at 2:22pm CST by Cray Allred

2:22pm: Marc Stein of ESPN.com has the figures for all five seasons (on Twitter): It’s the maximum $22,458,401 in year one, followed by a discounted raise to $22,875,000 for year two, and maximum raises that bring Anthony’s salaries to $24,559,380, $26,243,760 and $27,928,140 in the final three years. That brings the total value to $124,064,681, exactly $5,071,124 less than the maximum for which he could have signed.

8:42am: Anthony will receive his maximum salary in the first year of his deal, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. That precise max is $22,458,401, and it allows for a raise worth $1,684,380 each season. However, Anthony’s raise for the second season of the deal is $400K, Berman reports, adding that the contract will also include a 15% trade kicker should Anthony decide to waive his no-trade clause.

7:19pm: The deal also includes a no-trade clause, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 7:00pm: Anthony’s contract will be for $124MM over five years, sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who adds that Anthony will have an early termination option after the fourth season. The deal – which starts at $22.5MM in the first year – includes a “slight increase” in the second year followed by “larger increases” thereafter (Twitter links).

MONDAY, 10:05am: Anthony took a discount, Jackson confirms, and while the deal is for an estimated $122-123MM, the total value remains unclear, as Marc Berman of the New York Post details.

SUNDAY, 11:54am: Phil Jackson also confirms the pending agreement via the Knicks official Twitter account (Twitter links). Jackson said, “After 3 months of questions around Carmelo Anthony’s return to the NY Knicks we are now happy to know that we have the cornerstone of what we envision as a team of excellence. Steve Mills and I have assured Carmelo through our conversations, that we share the vision and the determination to build this team.”

SUNDAY, 11:28am: Anthony has confirmed he will be returning to New York via his website. In his announcement, ‘Melo said, “This organization has supported me and in return, I want to stay and build here with this city and my team.” Contract details have not been announced yet.

1:10pm: The deal is for five years and more than $120MM, but the final amount is undetermined, and Anthony may still accept less than the max, sources tell Wojnarowski.

SATURDAY, 12:05pm: Carmelo Anthony will inform the Knicks of his decision to re-sign in New York within the coming hours, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Frank Isola of The New York Daily News first reported Anthony’s intention to return to New York earlier this week, but the former scoring champ appeared to fluctuate over the last few days in deciding between the Knicks, Lakers and Bulls. ‘Melo will sign a five-year contract. The deal will presumably be for a maximum salary of $129MM, although Knicks president Phil Jackson has suggested that there were multiple salary structures on the table for Anthony.

Anthony, ranked second in the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, was encouraged by the momentum Jackson had garnered the franchise, which included hiring Derek Fisher as head coach and acquiring Jose Calderon via trade. The Bulls offered ‘Melo the best opportunity to contend in the upcoming season, but were unable to offer nearly as much annual salary or as many years as New York, who exercised their Bird Rights to extend the winning bid to retain the All-Star.

The client CAA client will remain in New York for the duration of his prime, after coming to his home state in a 2011 trade from Denver. Since joining the Knicks, ‘Melo has put up some of his most effective seasons as an individual, but seen mixed results as the centerpiece for a blockbuster team. The Knicks have won a single playoff series since obtaining Anthony.

A series of poor decisions had turned the Knicks from hopeful contenders to a laughing stock to many last season, in which they finished 37-45. The hefty contracts for Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Andrea Bargnani left the team with no cap flexibility, and a history of parting with draft selections and prospects had them headed toward the 2014 draft with no picks. However, Jackson was able to swing a series of moves that sent Chandler to Dallas and earned New York multiple second round picks.

‘Melo will hope Jackson, who has managed some of the game’s greats to many titles as a coach, can work some of the same magic as an executive. Jackson will work with Fisher to implement his triangle offense around Anthony’s strengths. Anthony’s belief in the future of New York will likely play a large part in determining his legacy, and whether he ever finds prolonged success in the playoffs. Anthony has standout averages of 25.3 PPG and 6.5 RPG for his career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eastern Notes: Knicks, Antic, Turner, Hornets

July 14th, 2014 at 7:59pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Knicks are bringing back Carmelo Anthony on a near-max deal, but Knicks president Phil Jackson signaled that austerity is ahead for the club as it looks to preserve cap flexibility for next summer. Marc Berman of the New York Post has the details, including Jackson’s comments about his desire for the Knicks to get out of the tax, a goal that the team will be unable to accomplish for the coming season without significant salary-clearing trades.

Here’s more from the east:

The Hawks will not waive Pero Antic and his $1.25MM contract for next season will be fully guaranteed tomorrow, reports Chris Vivlamore of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (Twitter link).
The Celtics are interested in free agent Evan Turner, tweets Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com, echoing last week’s report from Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities on Minnesota’s pursuit of the former No. 2 overall pick. Turner apparently remains the top priority for the Wolves, Wolfson adds (Twitter link).
The Hornets haven’t improved their team since free agency began, writes Scott Fowler of The Charlotte Observer. The team has failed to make a big splash, and the signing of Marvin Williams won’t offset the loss of Josh McRoberts to the Heat in free agency, opines Fowler.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

And-Ones: Monroe, Celtics, Siva, Anthony

July 13th, 2014 at 12:40pm CST by Eddie Scarito

There is a possibility that restricted free agent Greg Monroe is avoiding signing any offer sheets in order to force a sign-and-trade deal out of Detroit, writes David Mayo of MLive. If Monroe never signs an offer sheet, the Pistons have nothing to match, and his agent David Falk could attempt to force a sign-and-trade to a preferred destination or advise Monroe to sign a qualifying offer which would then make Monroe an unrestricted free agent in 2015, notes Mayo.

Here’s more from around the league:

The Celtics best bet is to hold off on making any big moves until the summer of 2015, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. In the piece, Forsberg breaks down Boston’s salary cap for the next two summers and weighs in on what moves the team could make.
If the Rockets match the offer sheet that Chandler Parsons signed with the Mavericks, this won’t leave Dallas with many options at small forward, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com. If the Mavs miss out on Parsons, look for them to make a run at Lance Stephenson, notes MacMahon.
The Mavericks have a history of losing out on restricted free agents, MacMahon writes in a separate article.
Carmelo Anthony‘s impending return to the Knicks was about business for both sides, not sentiment, writes Mike Vaccaro of The New York Post.
Anthony’s return to the Knicks signifies he’s more concerned about being paid than he is about winning, though that shouldn’t necessarily make him an object of scorn, writes J.A. Adande of ESPN.com
Peyton Siva’s non-guaranteed minimum salary contract became fully guaranteed for the coming season when he remained on the Pistons roster through Saturday.
The Hornets and the Mavericks are showing interest in free agent guard D.J. Augustin, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).

Pau Gasol, Bulls Close To Agreement

July 12th, 2014 at 4:28pm CST by Cray Allred

4:28pm: Gasol is close to joining the Bulls, but it won’t be through a sign-and-trade, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.

3:23pm: Dunleavy won’t be included in any sign-and-trade for Gasol, tweets Wojnarowski. Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle hears the Rockets’ most likely role in the suggested deal would be to take on expiring contracts (Twitter link).

3:04pm: The Lakers appear to be in line to get “one or two picks” in a sign-and-trade for Gasol, writes Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter), who adds that Houston might be involved in the deal in some fashion as well.

10:30am: The sign-and-trade discussions with the Lakers have involved sending Dunleavy and the non-guaranteed contracts of Mike James, Louis Amundson, and Ronnie Brewer to Los Angeles for Gasol, reports K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune. The possibility remains that the Bulls could work out agreements to acquire both Gasol and Anthony, but appears increasingly slim, per Johnson.

10:24am: A deal should be complete today, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. The mechanics of the deal, along with the ultimate implications for Chicago’s pursuit of ‘Melo, are still unknown.

8:12am: Free agent Pau Gasol is working with the Bulls on completing an agreement, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), confirming an earlier report from Spanish newspaper Marca.com. The deal would rely on the Lakers agreeing to a sign-and-trade with Chicago, and sources tell Marc Stein and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com that Los Angeles is holding out for draft compensation to participate in such a deal. LA received a future first-round pick in Friday’s agreement to acquire Jeremy Lin, and the ESPN duo’s sources say the Lakers are looking for the same in exchange for paving Gasol’s path to Chicago.

If the Bulls can’t work out a sign-and-trade for Gasol’s services, the Spurs are still poised as front-runners to acquire the skilled big man, per Stein and Shelburne. The talks indicate that the Bulls have lost optimism of signing Carmelo Anthony, despite reports that they are the Knicks’ only competitor to land the New York free agent, and that the Lakers are resigned to losing Gasol after having several contract offers rejected by him. The Thunder and Knicks are both likely out of the running for Gasol, the ESPN scribes write.

The Bulls have been hoping to find a willing partner to take back the final year of Carlos Boozer‘s contract rather than amnesty him, and Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders has tweeted out his cap calculations that show a Gasol deal including Boozer is possible, albeit complicated (Twitter links). Pincus also identifies Mike Dunleavy‘s contract as a piece that would make the deal work.

Carmelo Anthony Deciding Between Knicks, Bulls

July 12th, 2014 at 11:33am CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, 11:33pm: Anthony is still torn between Chicago and New York, and a decision is expected by Monday, tweets Zwerling.

2:40pm: The Lakers get the sense that Anthony is indeed down to just the Knicks and Bulls, but since they haven’t heard from him, they’re holding out hope, tweets Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News.

2:06pm: The Lakers haven’t been told they’re out of the running for Anthony, a source tells Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter link).

FRIDAY, 12:15pm: Carmelo Anthony has narrowed his choices to the Knicks and Bulls, a source close to the star forward tells Bleacher Report’s Jared Zwerling (Twitter link). Presumably that means the Lakers are out of the hunt, though it seems Anthony, who was reportedly expected to re-sign with the Knicks as of two days ago, is a ways off from a decision. He isn’t going to make his call today, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link).

The Rockets and Mavs also met with Anthony last week, but they were already reportedly out of the running. The primary focus of free agency shifts to Anthony, No. 2 on the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, now that LeBron James, No. 1 on that list, is headed to the Cavs.

The Bulls would have to make a series of moves to clear the necessary cap space to sign Anthony, and if the Lakers are truly out of the picture, that would seem to make it more difficult for the Bulls to coerce the Knicks into a sign-and-trade. He’s eligible for a starting salary of nearly $22.5MM, and while the Knicks have offered that salary, plus the maximum 7.5% raises over the length of a five-year deal, Anthony has indicated that he’d be willing to take less. He’d have to take significantly less to sign with the Bulls, particularly if the Knicks don’t agree to a sign-and-trade.