Magic, Turkoglu Making Progress On Buyout Talks
The Magic have engaged in buyout talks for Hedo Turkoglu's contract, and are making progress, according to Adrian Wojnarwoski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Turkoglu is in the last year of his deal, but only $6MM of his $12MM salary is guaranteed, so Orlando could save at least $6MM by releasing him.
GM Rob Hennigan had indicated late last month that he expected to talk to the agents for Turkoglu and Al Harrington in the near future, presumably to discuss buyouts. Like Turkoglu, Harrington has a contract that's only 50% guaranteed, though his deal is for two more years rather than just one.
If the Magic and Turkoglu were to reach an agreement, he'd be waived, would become an unrestricted free agent, and would be able to sign with any team besides Orlando. However, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel tweets, there's no real rush to complete a buyout. Turkoglu's contract has no guarantee date on it, so the Magic aren't on the hook for that full $12MM until January 10th.
Southeast Notes: Dwight, Bobcats, Magic, Hedo
The Lakers have launched a sizable billboard campaign in L.A. imploring Dwight Howard to re-sign. It may seem like a small gesture, but Brian K. Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter) notes that one of Howard's complaints with the Magic was that there were no, or very few, billboards of him around Orlando. Of course, if this morning's report is to be believed, the billboards won't do much to sway him. Here's today's look at the Southeast Division..
- The Bobcats are looking to trade for a late first-round or a second-round selection, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. They could trade back from No. 4 as well, but it's more likely that they keep the pick.
- Magic GM Rob Hennigan told Schmitz (on Twitter) that he'll be talking with the agents for Hedo Turkoglu and Al Harrington soon, presumably to work out buy-outs. Turkoglu is set to make $12MM next season while Harrington is owed nearly $15MM across the next two seasons. 50% of Harrington's remaining salary is guaranteed.
- Even though tonight's draft is the talk of the basketball world, it's the 2014 draft that really matters for the Magic, Schmitz writes. Next year's draft is universally regarded as a much stronger crop than this year's.
Southeast Rumors: Turkoglu, Hawks, Wizards
There's a race to the bottom in the Southeast Division tonight, with the Magic and the Bobcats vying for the greatest number of ping-pong balls in the draft lottery. The Hawks have playoff seeding at stake, but judging by their effort in a loss against the Raptors last night, they may not have any more motivation to win than Orlando and Charlotte do. While we wait to see how it all turns out, here's the latest from around the Southeast:
- Hedo Turkoglu wouldn't be surprised if the Magic waived him this summer to save 50% on his partially guaranteed $12MM contract for next season, as he tells Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida. The 34-year-old wants to keep playing in the NBA, but he can't see himself in the league for longer than another three seasons.
- Multiple veteran unrestricted free agents tell Lang Greene of HoopsWorld they'd consider signing with the Hawks if the team reached out to them. GM Danny Ferry also shares a few thoughts with Greene as Atlanta eyes a summer of ample cap space.
- Michael Lee of The Washington Post looks ahead to the offseason for the Wizards, who won't have much flexibility with $57MM already on the payroll, assuming Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza opt in to the final year of their contracts, as they're likely to do.
Eastern Notes: Turkoglu, Heat, Pistons, Bulls
A few Friday notes from out of the Eastern Conference….
- Turkey's Fenerbahce Ulker is hoping to add Hedo Turkoglu for the 2013/14 season, according to Can Pelister of TrendBasket.com (via Twitter). Of course, Turkoglu is still technically under contract with the Magic for next year, with half of his $12MM salary guaranteed. But while Turkoglu says he hopes to remain in Orlando, I'd expect the team to part ways with him.
- In his latest mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman explores whether the Heat will still be able to convince unrestricted free agents to sign in Miami at a discounted rate going forward.
- With the Pistons officially out of the playoff hunt for 2012/13, Patrick Hayes of PistonPowered (via the Detroit Free Press) tries to determine which prospects might be good fits for Detroit in the upcoming draft.
- As Amare Stoudemire works to get healthy for the postseason, Frank Isola of the New York Daily News looks back at the Knicks' decision to give Stoudemire a fully-guaranteed, uninsured $100MM contract.
- Signing Kenyon Martin is the latest in a series of successful moves for Knicks GM Glen Grunwald, writes Moke Hamilton of SheridanHoops.com.
- Sam Smith of Bulls.com addresses a number of Bulls-related topics in today's mailbag, including whether the Bulls will trade Luol Deng this summer, or sign Ben Gordon on the cheap, should the Bobcats buy him out — neither possibility is likely, says Smith.
Odds & Ends: Turkoglu, Harrington, Henderson
It was a busy 14-game night in the NBA, but there aren't too many of these evenings left. Every team will be in action three weeks from tonight on the final day of the regular season, but after that, four playoff games is the most NBA action we'll get out of a single night until the fall. As we savor the season while it lasts, here's news from around the Association:
- Hedo Turkoglu, back from his 20-game suspension for using performance-enhancing drugs, says he hopes to stay with the Magic, but as Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel notes, he has financial incentive to say so. The Magic would only have to pay half of Turkoglu's $12MM salary next season if they waive him.
- Fellow Magic forward Al Harrington has said repeatedly this season that he wants to play five more years, but he's already making post-retirement plans, telling Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida that he wants to go into broadcasting.
- Gerald Henderson is set to hit restricted free agency this summer, but says he "absolutely" wants to re-sign with the Bobcats, according to Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links).
- Oklahoma junior power forward Amath M'Baye is entering this year's draft field, the school announced. The 23-year-old will finish his degree requirements this spring and plans to hire an agent, so it doesn't look like he'll remove his name from consideration before the April 16th deadline. Neither ESPN's Chad Ford nor Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress have M'Baye listed among their top 100 prospects.
- Bob Young of the Arizona Republic looks at the draft prospects playing in each game of the NCAA Tournament's Sweet 16 this week from the perspective of the Suns, who appear squarely focused on next season.
- Metta World Peace will miss a minimum of six weeks with a torn lateral meniscus in his left knee, the Lakers revealed via press release. USA Today's Sam Amick examines the effect his absence will have on the team, noting that L.A.'s projected starting five has appeared together for just 189 minutes this season.
Odds & Ends: Turkoglu, Kings, Draft, Nocioni
Having served his 20-game suspension for a failed drug test, Hedo Turkoglu is eligible to return to action for the Magic, but the team may not have him in its short- or long-term plans, as he acknowledges to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
"I don't even know my future right now," Turkoglu said. "I don't know if I'll be here next year or not. At the end of the season, I'll be here and I'll try to do my best for these young guys and for this organization. When the summertime comes, we'll see what happens."
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NBA:
- With a big City Council vote coming up tonight, Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld discusses the Sacramento group's bid to keep the Kings. According to Kyler, Sacramento mayor Kevin Johnson and the investment group have received a "fairly specific set of objectives" to meet if they want to have a realstic chance to keep the team.
- Two more NCAA underclassmen are eyeing the NBA draft. Marshawn Powell of Arkansas announced on Twitter that he has decided to declare his intent, while New Mexico announced that junior forward Tony Snell will test the waters (Twitter link via ESPN.com's Andy Katz).
- In his latest piece for HoopsWorld, Alex Kennedy examines the effect the NCAA tournament has on a prospect's draft stock and speaks to Rashard Lewis about his first year with the Heat.
- Andres Nocioni, who previously played for the Bulls, Kings, and Sixers, is in the final year of his contract with Spain's Caja Laboral, but it doesn't sound as if he's considering an NBA comeback. Nocioni spoke this week about his future, and Emiliano Carchia of Sportando has a translation of the highlights, via PlanetACB.com.
Odds & Ends: Yi, McGrady, Turkoglu
- In that same piece, Sheridan says that former NBA superstar Tracy McGrady is mulling a return to the Qingdao Flying Eagles for another season.
- Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel says that it's "highly likely" the Magic will part ways with Hedo Turkoglu during the offseason. The 34-year-old forward doesn't appear to fit into the team's long-term plans, and only $6MM of his $12MM contract next year is fully guaranteed.
- Dave McMenamin and Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles report that Lakers reserve Antawn Jamison will play through pain after suffering a slight tear in his shooting wrist during Friday night's loss to the Wizards.
- Knicks coach Mike Woodson thinks that Jason Kidd could "absolutely" play two years after this one (Ian Begley of ESPN New York tweets).
- Despite all the media attention converging onto Miami nowadays, Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel doesn't think that the Heat approaching the NBA's all-time winning streak has created any unneeded pressure.
- Marc D'Amico of Celtics.com examines Jeff Green's performance against the Heat last Monday, calling it a game indicative of a potential superstar.
Eastern Links: Magic, Vucevic, Sixers, Boozer
The Eastern Conference may have been on the losing end of yesterday's All-Star Game in Houston, but there's still plenty happening around the conference. Here's the latest:
- As decision day nears for the Magic and J.J. Redick, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel says the team would be more willing to move Redick if another team was willing to take on Al Harrington and/or Hedo Turkoglu along with the sharpshooter, which isn't likely.
- Nikola Vucevic, who Schmitz calls Orlando's only untouchable player, appeared on WGYG in Orlando, and said he wasn't bitter at all about the offseason trade that sent him from the Sixers to the Magic (link via Steven Cuce of Sports Radio Interviews).
- Phil Sheridan of the Philadelphia Inquirer argues that it's time for the 76ers to cut their losses on another major piece of that Vucevic trade: Andrew Bynum.
- One league source tells Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press that he thinks Carlos Boozer is the player most likely to be moved by Thursday (Twitter link).
- Josh Smith, Andrea Bargnani, and Rodney Stuckey are among the players Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says should have been traded before now in order to maximize their value.
Hedo Turkoglu Suspended For Failed Drug Test
10:11pm: Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel writes that Magic GM Rob Hennigan didn't do or say much in support of Turkoglu at his press conference earlier today.
"I think we're going to get through this step first. We'll worry about the summer when summer comes," Hennigan said. "Certainly, the Hedo situation will be one of them. We're not able to comment now on what that situation will be."
With Turkoglu due $6MM in the final year of his deal in 2013-14, Schmitz opines that the Magic could choose to buy him out of his deal. While there was an outside shot Turkoglu could be bundled with the highly sought after J.J. Redick before the trade deadline, that chance has gone "from slight to zilch" according to Schmitz. With the Magic in the midst of a youth movement, it sounds like Turkoglu understands his days in Orlando may be numbered.
"I've had my best years in Orlando," he said. "This certainly is not in my hands… Like Rob [Hennigan] says, we will wait until the summer for both futures."
4:43pm: The NBA announced today that Hedo Turkoglu has been suspended for violating the league's anti-drug program. It's the first violation for Turkoglu, who will be suspended for 20 games without pay for testing positive for methenolone. Shortly after the NBA announced the suspension, Turkoglu released a statement of his own, taking full responsibility for what he called an "error in judgment."
"While I was back home in Turkey this past summer, I was given a medication by my trainer to help recover more quickly from a shoulder injury," Turkoglu said in the statement. "I didn't know that this was a banned substance and didn't check before taking it."
Under CBA rules, Turkoglu will be docked 1/110th of his 2012/13 salary for each game that he misses. That penalty will reduce his total salary from about $11.82MM to about $9.67MM. Additionally, 50% of the $2.15MM Turkoglu will lose due to the suspension will be removed from Orlando's team salary figure, reducing the team's overall cap hit by about $1.08MM.
The suspension shouldn't entirely rule out the possibility of Turkoglu being moved, since he likely would have only be included in a trade for salary-matching purposes anyway. Still, even though he's on an expiring deal of sorts, since his contract for next year is only partially-guaranteed, Turkoglu remains a long shot to be dealt due to his exorbitant salary.
Odds & Ends: Lakers, Luxury Tax, Meeks
Yannis Koutroupis and Stephen Brotherston of HoopsWorld both agree that it wouldn't be in the Lakers' best interests to deal Dwight Howard despite how the team has struggled with him thus far. Brotherston also thinks that with Pau Gasol's value to teams looking for some veteran leadership, it would be wise for Los Angeles to cash him in for younger and more athletic players who can provide a better fit next to Steve Nash and Dwight. You'll find more of tonight's miscellaneous links below:
- Jodie Valade of The Plain Dealer looks at how the CBA's more restrictive luxury-tax implications (set to take effect in 2013-14) have reconfigured the way trades have been discussed in today's NBA, where cap space and draft picks have become the most coveted bargaining chips in what Celtics coach Doc Rivers calls 'economic trades.'
- Brotherston writes about how the emergence of Earl Clark in Mike D'Antoni's rotation has come at the expense of guard Jodie Meeks, who has gone from averaging 26.5 MPG in December to playing a total of 38 minutes in the Lakers' last seven games. While Meeks admits his frustration, he says there is nothing else to do but remain positive and stay ready for when D'Antoni gives him another opportunity to play.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer points to inexperience as an explanation for the Bobcats' struggles when trying to close out games. Of their 31 losses this season, 10 have been decided by six points or less.
- While there is no set timetable for Hedo Turkoglu's return to action for the Magic, the 6'10 veteran forward recently participated in fullcourt scrimmages and said that the injured left hand he's been dealing with is "about to be 100 percent soon," notes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.