Western Notes: Rockets, Iguodala, Clippers
The Rockets have been expected to waive Carlos Delfino and Aaron Brooks before their salaries become fully guaranteed at the end of today, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears the team is still pursuing 11th-hour trade possibilities for the two, despite the slim chance they'll find a deal (Twitter links). That's just one of many news items out of the West with free agency less than 12 hours away:
- With a host of teams vying for Andre Iguodala, Nuggets GM Tim Connelly and coach Brian Shaw will meet with Iguodala on Monday in Los Angeles, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- Doc Rivers is downplaying talk of a trade involving Eric Bledsoe or anyone else, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times notes. The Clippers have interest in retaining Lamar Odom and Matt Barnes, Turner reports, adding that the Lakers are also high on Barnes.
- Though the Clippers reportedly prefer Andrea Bargnani to DeMar DeRozan, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun notes that Rivers has always held DeRozan in high regard (Twitter link).
- O.J. Mayo is expected to turn down his $4.2MM player option for next season, and while his preference is to return to Dallas, the Mavs won't receive a discount, tweets Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- Carl Landry's first priority will be to re-sign with the Warriors, but he believes there will be about half a dozen teams pursuing him, and he expects the Blazers to be one of them, the power forward tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Landry reciprocates Portland's interest.
- The Suns won't be in the market for big-ticket free agents, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The team prefers to keep its cap flexibility to accomodate an enticing trade possibility or next year's crop of free agents. The Suns will be in contact with Wesley Johnson, one of their own free agents, Coro says.
- New Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro is promising an "aggressive" approach to the offseason, as Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee observes. The Kings won't simply let restricted free agent Tyreke Evans go without matching his offer or working out a sign-and-trade, writes Voisin, who pegs his market value at between $8MM and $10MM per year.
- Yesterday was the deadline for the Spurs to waive Matt Bonner before his $3.945MM salary for next season, which had been partially guaranteed for $1MM, became fully guaranteed. So, Bonner will be back, unless the team waives him via amnesty, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News points out as he examines the Spurs' offseason.
Raptors Pursuing Eric Bledsoe
SUNDAY, 9:12am: The Raptors may end up simply sending Bargnani, whom the Clippers prefer over DeRozan, to L.A. for Butler, with the Clippers saving Bledsoe for another deal or holding on to him for next season, Stein tweets.
SATURDAY, 10:57pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein has updated his article on the Raptors–Clippers talks surrounding a possible trade sending Eric Bledsoe to Toronto for Andrea Bargnani and DeMar DeRozan.
But sources tell Stein Doc Rivers' new position as the senior vice president of basketball operations for the Clippers has complicated matters since he was steadfast in his refusal to allow the Clippers to part with Bledsoe while they were acquring him from the Celtics. Rivers is said to be "lukewarm" on the Raptors' offer up to this point.
Rivers still isn't keen on giving up Bledsoe (Twitter), or DeAndre Jordan, despite the fact Chris Paul will probably re-sign with Clippers next month and Bledsoe is due an extension when his rookie deal runs out next summer.
Bledsoe has expressed a desire to sign an extension before the Halloween deadline for his rookie class, and Paul even said that Bledsoe should start somewhere during this past season. Keeping Bledsoe on the roster, even with Rivers' strong support, may be untenable and most league executives expect him to be unloaded some time this offseason while the Clippers can still get something back.
If Bledsoe gets traded, it will most likely be conjoined with Caron Butler, Stein notes.
3:44pm: The Raptors have significant interest in Clippers point guard Eric Bledsoe, and have begun exploratory talks with L.A. about a trade, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The Raptors would like to include Andrea Bargnani in any deal, and while that idea wouldn't entirely turn off the Clips, L.A. has greater interest in DeMar DeRozan than any in other Raptor, according to Stein.
Some executives around the league believe the revamped front office in Toronto, with GM Masai Ujiri in charge, isn't keen on the four-year, $38MM extension that DeRozan got from former GM Bryan Colangelo and company. The Magic have been frequently linked to Bledsoe as well in recent weeks, reportedly with a deal that would include Arron Afflalo, and sources tell Stein that the Pistons are one of a half dozen teams that have interest in Bledsoe, as well.
Caron Butler, who drew mention in the Clippers' talks with the Magic, would likely have to be a part of a deal with the Raptors, though both the Clips and Toronto have discussed a variety of options, Stein writes. In addition to the new regime for the Raptors, coach Doc Rivers appears to have assumed the role of primary basketball decision-maker for the Clippers. During negotiations over Rivers between the Celtics and Clippers this month, the coach reportedly tried to make sure Bledsoe remained in L.A. Still, Bledsoe is due for an extension to his rookie contract this summer, and with Chris Paul seemingly assured of returning to Clipperland, Bledsoe would become an expensive luxury as a bench player. Many front offices have assumed that Bledsoe would be on the block once Paul re-signed this summer.
Magic GM Rob Hennigan told reporters Thursday that his team may revisit its pursuit of Bledsoe, and Orlando remains at the "head of the list" of teams chasing the 23-year-old point guard, Stein writes.
Spencer Lund contributed to this post.
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.
Kyler On Gay, Magic, Smith
Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld.com took questions from his followers on his Twitter account on Saturday morning, covering the Raptors' acquisition of Rudy Gay along with other topics.
- Until they see how Rudy Gay and DeMar DeRozan play together, the Raptors plan to keep both on the roster.
- Bryan Colangelo's next move should be to get out of Andrea Bargnani's contract, Kyler writes.
- The Grizzlies offered Gay to the Magic for J.J. Redick, and were rejected.
- The Magic would be willing to trade any player on their roster for the right price, Kyler writes, although they value players like Maurice Harkless very highly.
- The Hawks would prefer to keep Josh Smith, but they are exploring their options before the trade deadline.
- Kyler thinks everybody on the Mavericks is available at the trade deadline, with the exception of Dirk Nowitzki.
- The Celtics are very active in trade talks, but don't have many assets to offer.
- Given the Kings' ownership situation, Kyler doubts they move Tyreke Evans or any other player before the deadline.
- Kyler doesn't think the Jazz will trade Paul Millsap or Al Jefferson unless they can preserve flexibility.
Odds & Ends: D’Antoni, Bynum, Raptors, Banks
Let's round up a few of Monday's odds and ends from around the Association….
- Carmelo Anthony told reporters, including Marc Berman of the New York Post, that he's happy for Mike D'Antoni and that he and the former Knicks coach had a "good relationship."
- Brian Musburger, the agent for Phil Jackson, said he and his client were indeed "stunned" by the Lakers' hiring of D'Antoni: "Not so much with the decision the Lakers made, because Phil had no hold on the job. But we are stunned with the way Phil learned of it" (Sulia link via Kevin Ding of the O.C. Register).
- Following up on the Sixers' latest update on Andrew Bynum, Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Sulia link) points to Bynum's health as one reason why the Cavaliers didn't get far in trade negotiations for the big man this past summer.
- In his Morning Tip piece at NBA.com, TNT's David Aldridge discusses the Lakers' coaching hire, Keyon Dooling's decision to retire, and Mickey Loomis' role with the Hornets.
- DeMar DeRozan is hoping to help turn the Raptors into a team that will be attractive to players in free agency, as he tells Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.
- NBA veteran Marcus Banks, who last played for the Raptors in 2010/11, has agreed to terms with Panathinaikos, according to a report passed along by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
Odds & Ends: Paul, Mavs, Curry, DeRozan
We've got a busy NBA slate lined up for tonight, with the Knicks, Timberwolves, and Hawks among the teams opening up their seasons at home. As we look forward to a 12-game evening, let's round up a few odds and ends from around the league:
- Despite receiving some criticism for giving Chris Paul too much power in the Clippers' decision-making, GM Gary Sacks tells Sam Amick of USA Today he has no problem with listening to "the guy with the highest IQ in the NBA, maybe."
- Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com examines whether Mark Cuban will be able to rebuild the Mavericks without bottoming out.
- We heard this morning that Eddy Curry will be waived by the Mavericks, and according to Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld, a number of teams have already reached out to Curry's camp. The big center figures to join another club soon, says Ingram.
- Grantland's Zach Lowe calls DeMar DeRozan's extension a bad contract, but not a catastrophic one. Lowe prefers the deals signed by Jrue Holiday and Taj Gibson to DeRozan's.
- Responding to the criticism DeRozan's extension has received, Raptors GM Bryan Colangelo defended the team's decision, as Eric Koreen of the National Post transcribes.
- Sam Smith's latest mailbag at Bulls.com features discussion on the James Harden trade, Quentin Richardson, and potential Bulls targets.
- A federal court judge has dismissed the claims that agency Priority Sports & Entertainment filed against NBA agent and former Priority employee Aaron Mintz, according to Liz Mullen of the SportsBusiness Journal.
Extension Fallout: Gibson, Curry, DeRozan, Evans
Five players signed contract extensions on Wednesday's deadline day, and that doesn't even include Ty Lawson's new deal, which was completed on Tuesday. With this year's October 31st deadline behind us, let's round up some of the links relating to this year's class of extended players….
- Taj Gibson's deal with the Bulls is worth roughly $34MM in guaranteed salary, plus up to $38-39MM with incentives, which are both individual- and team-based, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com (Twitter links).
- Gibson probably could have earned a larger contract on the open market next summer, but wanted to stay with the Bulls because he's happy in Chicago, says Sam Smith of Bulls.com.
- Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group spoke to Stephen Curry about the process of negotiating a new deal with the Warriors. The piece also includes conversations with team owner Joe Lacob and GM Bob Myers.
- DeMar DeRozan was prepared to play out the season with or without a contract extension, but he's happy to have it out of the way, writes Stephen Brotherson of HoopsWorld.
- Doug Smith of the Toronto Star feels that the Raptors, in locking up DeRozan, bid against themselves when it wasn't necessary.
- Sean Deveney of The Sporting News examines the consequences of a wild week for the Rockets and James Harden, who finalized a five-year maximum-salary extension yesterday.
- Having not received an extension from the Kings, Tyreke Evans tells Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee that he's fine with just focusing on his play on the court for the rest of the season.
Raptors Sign DeMar DeRozan To Extension
11:09pm: The Raptors confirmed the extension in a press release.
"DeMar has worked very hard and has been a significant part of the building process here in Toronto," team president Bryan Colangelo said. "We view DeMar as a young, athletic and talented basketball player whose character fits what we are putting together."
8:11pm: Michael Grange of Rogers Sportsnet confirms via Twitter that the base pay in the deal is $38MM (hat tip to John Hollinger of ESPN.com).
6:30pm: Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun hears the deal is actually for four years and $38MM (Twitter link). He's likely referring to the base pay and not the amount DeRozan could earn with the incentives, but that's just my speculation.
5:41pm: The Raptors and DeMar DeRozan have agreed to a four-year $40MM extension with incentives that could bring the value to as much as $42MM, reports Sam Amick of SI.com (Twitter link). Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported moments earlier that the two sides were close to a deal (Twitter link). After early indications today that a deal would not get done, there seemed to be a change of heart, presumably by the Raptors, who were reportedly already focused on what they wanted to see from DeRozan this season in advance of restricted free agency next summer. Instead, it appears they'll have the fourth-year swingman already locked up.
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who heard earlier today that an offer in the neighborhood of $34MM could get a deal done, quickly criticized the team's decision via Twitter, and Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times followed (Twitter link). Last year, DeRozan put up 16.7 PPG and 3.3 RPG on 42.2% shooting with a 12.8 PER, all numbers that declined from 2010/11.
The move means roughly $52MM in cap space is tied up for next season, assuming Linas Kleiza and Aaron Gray pick up their player options. That puts the Raptors out of the running for a max free agent they would have been able to afford if they passed on DeRozan.
Atlantic Rumors: DeRozan, King, Knicks, Felton
The reaction to the Raptors' decision to grant DeMar DeRozan an incentive-laden four-year extension worth at least $38MM met with immediate criticism this evening, as it seemed the Raptors had overpaid. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, one of those initial critics, wonders about the timing of the commitment, but notes that the team made a similar move when they extended Andrea Bargnani, and he's turned out to be a bargain. Still, he believes both players are too inefficient to cover for their flaws (Twitter link). As we wait for more news as the extension deadline draws near, here's the latest from around the Atlantic Division.
- Nets GM Billy King admits he was making moves just to keep his job when he was GM of the Sixers, but he's been much more bold since taking over the Nets, writes Roderick Boone of Newsday.
- Despite a spate of injuries, Knicks coach Mike Woodson is confident his request that the team sign veteran players in the offseason will bear fruit, as Nate Taylor of The New York Times documents.
- Raymond Felton is anxious to vanquish the ghosts of Jeremy Lin, his predecessor as Knicks point guard, notes Newsday's Al Iannazzone. "Jeremy's gone," Felton said. "He's in Houston now. That's a lost cause. He's not coming back. It's my team. I'm the point guard. Me and (Jason) Kidd, so Jeremy Lin is in Houston. Only time he comes back is when he plays against us."
- No player will ever burst on the scene quite like Lin did last year, but Chris Copeland is the Knicks best candidate for a breakout season in 2012/13, according to Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com.
- Though Jeff Green struggled in his first game since his offseason signing with the Celtics, A. Sherrod Blakely of CSNNE.com says Green's best is yet to come.
Extension Rumors: Gibson, Casspi, Curry
This year's deadline for extension-eligible fourth-year players to sign new deals is just hours away, arriving at 11:00pm CT today. Blake Griffin, Serge Ibaka, and Ty Lawson came into the day as the only players with new contracts, while Stephen Curry reached an unexpected agreement with the Warriors this morning and James Harden agreed to a maximum deal with the Rockets this afternoon. Will we see any other extensions signed before the night is out? We'll track today's extension-related rumors and rumblings right here:
- Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago reports Taj Gibson is seeking a four-year extension worth $40MM while the Bulls are offering $32MM. Sam notes a $36MM figure in the middle would be equal to what fellow forwards Ryan Anderson and Jeff Green got over the summer, and less than the $10MM or more Sam believes Gibson could command as a restricted free agent next summer (All Twitter links).
Earlier updates: