Nuggets Re-Sign JaVale McGee
The Nuggets announced that they have re-signed free agent center JaVale McGee to a multiyear contract. The deal is for four years and worth $44MM, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). The big man averaged 11.3 PPG, 7.8 RPG and 2.16 BPG in 61 games for the Nuggets and Wizards last season.
Denver acquired McGee from the Wizards as part of a three-team deal on March 15th that sent Nene to Washington. The athletic 24-year-old had a number of memorable mental lapses on the court during his time with the Wizards but appeared to turn a corner with the Nuggets.
“JaVale did a tremendous job for us after the trade,” Executive VP Masai Ujiri said in the release. “He worked hard on the court and did everything our coaches asked of him. Plus, he’s only 24 years old. With our coaching staff, he’s only going to get better.”
McGee turned in a pair of brilliant performances in the Nuggets' first-round series against the Lakers. The 7-footer put up 16 points and 15 rebounds Game 3 and followed that up with 21 points and 14 boards in Game 5.
Late last week, it was reported that the Nuggets offered McGee a five-year deal worth $50MM. The reported pact gives McGee a slightly higher average annual value while allowing him to re-enter the open market before his 29th birthday. The length and value of the deal is strikingly similar to the four-year, $43MM offer sheet that the Clippers matched last offseason in order to keep DeAndre Jordan away from the Warriors.
Odds & Ends: T-Wolves, Griffin, Nuggets, Hollins
- After tearing his left meniscus during a Team USA practise last Wednesday, Blake Griffin was forced to remove himself from the Olympic games. The Clippers forward had successful surgery today, and is still expected to be ready in time for training camp, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc J. Spears.
- The Nuggets are considering using their amnesty provision on forward Chris Andersen, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times. Andersen has two years and $9MM left on his deal.
Earlier updates:
Free Agent Rumors: Rush, McGee, Flynn, Landry
Hoops Rumors' list of 2012 restricted free agents has fewer than a dozen names left on it, and a couple more (Jeremy Lin, Nicolas Batum) are set to come off the board as soon as we get resolution on their respective offer sheets. With a number of players having signed new deals and a few others having become unrestricted, it might not be long before there are no restricted free agents left on the market. But for now, there are still a handful looking for work, and we have updates on a couple of them within today's round-up of free agent rumors….
Nuggets Offer JaVale McGee Five-Year Deal
We haven't heard many JaVale McGee rumors this summer, but that doesn't mean that the seven-footer hasn't received any interest. According to Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post, the Nuggets have a five-year offer worth $50MM on the table for McGee. However, the center's representatives don't appear to be in a hurry to finalize a deal, and will continue to negotiate.
Nuggets Making Progress With JaVale McGee
The Nuggets and JaVale McGee are making progress in negotiations on a new contract, tweets SI.com's Sam Amick. According to Amick, "all signs" point to McGee re-signing in Denver and continuing his tenure with the Nuggets, who acquired him at this year's trade deadline.
Free Agent Rumors: Redd, Camby, Stiemsma
Brandon Roy, Jason Kidd, and Jamal Crawford were among the players to reach agreements with new clubs yesterday, while Nicolas Batum and Jeremy Lin agreed to lucrative offer sheets that their current teams are expected to match. What will Friday bring? Here are the latest rumors on a number of free agents still on the market:
- The Suns and Bulls are the two teams "most heavily in the mix" for Michael Redd, says Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
- Marcus Camby will meet with the Heat tomorrow and the Knicks next, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Feigen adds that Camby likely won't meet with the Rockets until there's resolution on Omer Asik.
Earlier updates:
Free Agent Rumors: Hill, Dragic, McGee, Shved
Happy Fourth of July to all of our American readers! Even though it's a holiday, we're expecting more free agent developments, so we'll be providing our usual updates all day long. Here are a few of Wednesday's more minor free agent rumors, with the latest items added to the top of the page throughout the day….
- Frank Isola of the New York Daily News tweets that Grant Hill will either join Steve Nash in signing with the Lakers or retire.
- Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic tweets that the Suns are unwilling to offer Goran Dragic the $10MM per year he is reportedly seeking.
- Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears that negotiations between JaVale McGee and the Nuggets are "going well."
Earlier updates:
Free Agent Rumors: Mavs, Dragic, Orton, Blazers
Day 3 of NBA free agency is underway, and the July free agent period hasn't lacked for action so far. We'll use this space to track a number of updates on second- and third-tier free agents as the day continues. Here's the latest:
- The Warriors, Lakers, and Bobcats are all interested in Antawn Jamison, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Marc J. Spears.
- The Mavericks might clear cap space for next summer when Dwight Howard and Chris Paul are unrestricted free agents, tweets Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski.
- Ersan Ilyasova's agent has said his client is seriously considering a "big offer" from a European club, according to HoopsHype.com.
- The Timberwolves continued negotiation with Nicolas Batum, Greg Stiemsma, and Jordan Hill on Tuesday, but no deal was reached, writes TwinCities.com's Ray Richardson.
Earlier updates:
Northwest Rumors: Millsap, McGee, T-Wolves
The Northwest has certainly been the NBA's most active division on the restricted free agent market so far today, with the Trail Blazers extending Roy Hibbert a maximum offer and the Timberwolves making a hard push for Nicolas Batum. According to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Portland's four-year offer to Hibbert is worth $58.4MM. I assume that's based on 2011/12's maximum-salary figures, which are likely to stay the same for 2012/13. Hibbert is leaning toward signing the offer sheet when the moratorium ends, which would give the Pacers three days to match it, says Berger.
Here are a few more Sunday updates out of the Northwest:
Nuggets Notes: Faried, McGee, Blake
The latest news and notes around the Denver Nuggets on Sunday night:
- The Denver Post's Benjamin Hochman praises Kenneth Faried, touting him as one of the best value selections in last year's draft.
- Hochman also notes that the Nuggets expect to bring back restricted free-agent center JaVale McGee.
- Fox Sports Florida's Chris Tomasson tweets that Lakers guard Steve Blake wanted to re-sign with the Nuggets after the 2007 season. However, Denver was not willing to pay him the $4.25MM annually that Portland was. The Nuggets instead signed Chucky Atkins.