Lakers To Extend Qualifying Offer To Darius Morris
The Lakers will extend a qualifying offer to Darius Morris, making him a restricted free agent, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
While Bresnahan pegs the value of the offer at around $940K, I believe it will be closer to $962K. Either way, Morris will have the option to accept the one-year qualifying offer or to sign a new deal as a free agent. The Lakers will have the chance to match any contract Morris signs with another club.
Kupchak On Sessions, Offseason
Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak held a conference call with team beat writers this evening to offer his thoughts on Ramon Sessions' decision to opt-out of the final year of his contract and other offseason topics. Among those present was Mike Trudell of Lakers.com, who tweeted that Kupchack's preference would have been for Sessions to pick up his player option for next year. As we mentioned earlier, the team still owns Ramon's bird rights and will not have to use their mid-level exception if they choose to re-sign him. Trudell released the full transcript of Kupchak's comments, and here are some highlights..
Lakers Notes: Iguodala, Barnes, Morris, Bynum
A roster upheaval could be coming in Los Angeles, as Lakers GM Mitch Kupchak expects to explore "all opportunities" to improve the team's roster. Our round-up of Lakers items this morning includes some hints at possible moves, as two Lakers free agents discuss the future and Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identifies a potential trade target….
- Expect the Lakers to target Andre Iguodala again this summer, Kennedy writes in HoopsWorld's NBA AM feature. The Lakers pursued Iguodala a year ago, and a source tells Kennedy that Kobe Bryant would welcome the acquisition of an athletic small forward.
- In his exit interview, Matt Barnes acknowledged that he may have played his last game as a Laker, as Brian Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com notes. Barnes also suggested that his priorities in free agency may be different this time around: "The last few teams I’ve went to, it was in search of a ring, and have fallen short. I’ve always turned down a significant amount of money to do that. So that’s something we’ll have to sit down and see."
- Darius Morris enjoyed his rookie season in Los Angeles but may end up heading somewhere where he can earn more playing time, writes Andy Kamenetzky of ESPN LA. "I love it here in L.A.," Morris said. "But being a young player, it's really important to be somewhere you feel you have an opportunity to play and get to grow on the court most importantly… We'll see what happens."
- Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News questions whether Andrew Bynum is the player the Lakers should be building around long-term as they prepare for Kobe Bryant's last few seasons.
Pacific Notes: Nash, Bogut, Morris
As every Pacific team except the Clippers prepares to host a game later tonight, let's check in on the latest updates out of the division:
- Steve Nash will have plenty of options in free agency this summer, but he'll "strongly consider" re-signing with the Suns, agent Bill Duffy tells Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
- Newly-acquired Andrew Bogut tells the Australian Associated Press that the Warriors are likely to hold him out of action for the rest of the season (link via NBA.com).
- Ramon Sessions is expected to be available for his new team tonight, but the Lakers have recalled Darius Morris from their D-League affiliate just in case, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.
Odds & Ends: Spurs, Diaw, Kaman, Morris
- The Spurs may be looking into the trade market for a point guard, according to Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld.
- Tony Parker spoke about his desire for Boris Diaw to join him in San Antonio should he be granted a buyout from the Bobcats. Interestingly enough, Parker referred to the Knicks as another team that is interested in Diaw.
- Center Chris Kaman says he feels comfortable with his role in New Orleans and would hope to stay with the Hornets, writes Jimmy Smith of The Times-Picayune.
- Lakers rookie Darius Morris suffered a bruised wrist during a game in the D-League and will be day-to-day, says Mike Bresnahan of The Los Angeles Times. (Twitter link)
- Greg Oden appears to be preparing to move on from the Trail Blazers. According to Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, a source close to the situation has said that Oden is in the process of selling his home in Portland and has no intention of returning to the team next season.
Odds & Ends: Howard, Morris, Anderson, Knicks
While there haven't been any big Dwight Howard rumors so far today, Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel indicates that there has been a "shift in tone" in how Howard's desires are perceived. As we documented yesterday, the rumors are running wild, seemingly due to Howard's ambivalence. Here is what else is going on around the league on this Wednesday evening:
- Brian Schmitz from the Orlando Sentinel takes a look at the some of the hardships facing the Magic leading up to the trade deadline, including their tough schedule and inconsistency.
- Eddie Sefko from the Dallas Morning News says (via chat), should Dwight Howard not get traded by March 15th, he considers the Mavericks the heavy favorites to land both Howard and Deron Williams. He also mentions Gerald Wallace and C.J. Miles as potential complimentary fits around Dirk Nowitzki, Howard and Williams.
- According to Yahoo's Marc Spears, Lakers assign rookie guard Darius Morris to the NBDL D-Fenders. Mike Bresnahan, Lakers beat writer for the L.A. Times, adds that Morris is still counted on the roster and will continue to get paid as a Laker.
- Chris Bernucca from Sheridan Hoops examines some of the recent deadline deals, and their impact on the league today.
- Magic forward Ryan Anderson has been trying to block out the Dwight Howard rumors, says Brian Schmitz from the Orlando Sentinel. Anderson knows he could be packaged with Howard, or traded to get Howard help.
- Mike D'Antoni recognizes that the Knicks are struggling with Carmelo Anthony and Jeremy Lin on the floor, but D'Antoni thinks it's a solvable problem, writes Frank Isola of the New York Daily News.
Decisions On Non-Guaranteed Contracts
February 10th marks the day that all players on non-guaranteed contracts will have their deals guaranteed for the remainder of the season. However, if a team wants to meet that Friday deadline, it will need to make its decisions today, allowing its player(s) to pass through waivers in time.
Some non-guaranteed players, such as DeJuan Blair and Jeremy Lin, are in no danger of being waived. However, with a few dozen players on non-guaranteed deals across the league, there will be plenty of cuts before the day is out. Some of those players will sign 10-day contracts shortly after being cut, while others could join the D-League or find a place on our list of current unrestricted free agents.
We'll track all the day's decisions on non-guaranteed contracts right here, with the latest news up top:
- Other players who will have their contracts guaranteed for the remainder of the year: Ivan Johnson, Jannero Pargo, Jerry Stackhouse (Hawks), Cory Higgins (Bobcats), Brian Scalabrine, John Lucas (Bulls), Samardo Samuels, Alonzo Gee (Cavaliers), Sean Williams (Mavericks), Julyan Stone (Nuggets), Vernon Macklin, Damien Wilkins (Pistons), Dominic McGuire, Chris Wright (Warriors), Sundiata Gaines, Keith Bogans (Nets), Steve Novak, Jerome Jordan (Knicks), Ryan Reid (Thunder), DeAndre Liggins (Magic), Lavoy Allen, Francisco Elson (Sixers), Danny Green, Gary Neal (Spurs), Jeremy Evans (Jazz).
- The Jazz will guarantee Jamaal Tinsley's contract, according to Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter).
- The Pistons are keeping guard Walker Russell, agent Giovanni Funicello told HoopsHype (via Twitter).
- The Hornets have waived DaJuan Summers and Carldell Johnson, league sources tell Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).
- The Rockets waived Jeff Adrien, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). The move clears a roster spot for Greg Smith.
- The Wizards have waived Hamady N'Diaye, according to a team release.
- Chris Johnson received a call from Trail Blazers GM Chad Buchanan this morning saying his contract would be guaranteed, tweets Mike Tokito of The Oregonian.
- The Celtics will hang on to Greg Stiemsma and guarantee his deal, according to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe.
- The Lakers have waived Derrick Caracter. Caracter broke the news himself, tweeting "It's over before it begun!!! …. On to the next chapter of my life" (Twitter links). The Lakers will hang on to Devin Ebanks, Andrew Goudelock, and Darius Morris, tweets Mike Breshnahan of the Los Angeles Times.
- The Clippers have cut Solomon Jones, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).
- The Heat have waived Mickell Gladness, the team announced (Twitter link). Miami's other two players on non-guaranteed deals, Eddy Curry and Terrel Harris, look safe, tweets Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
- The Grizzlies have waived Josh Davis, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal.
- The Spurs announced they've waived Malcolm Thomas, who was assigned to the team's D-League affiliate last week.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
