JaVale McGee

Odds & Ends: T-Wolves, Griffin, Nuggets, Hollins

Chris Haynes from CSNNW.com has confirmed that the Timberwolves offered Derrick Williams and two first round picks in exchange for Nicolas Batum earlier this summer. Portland, obviously, turned the deal down. (Twitter link). Batum has signed an offer sheet that was given to him by Minnesota, but Trail Blazers general manager Neil Olshey has repeatedly said he would match it before the Wednesday night deadline, sending him back to Portland on a four-year, $46.5MM deal. 
  • 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:

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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….

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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.

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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.

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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:

Earlier updates:

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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:

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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:

Earlier updates:

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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:

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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.

Nuggets “100%” Committed To Re-Signing McGee

JaVale McGee played the best game of his young postseason career Tuesday night in Los Angeles, recording 21 points, 14 rebounds, and a pair of blocks against a tough Lakers frontcourt, sending the series back to Denver. The performance led to some speculation about the offers McGee could receive in free agency this summer, but the Nuggets don't intend to let him get away. GM Masai Ujiri told Benjamin Hochman of the Denver Post that McGee is "100%" a player the team intends to lock up long-term.

"Our intent was to get JaVale for the future, not just for three months," Ujiri said, referring to the blockbuster deadline deal that brought McGee to Denver.

McGee will be eligible for restricted free agency this summer, so the Nuggets will have the opportunity to match any offer sheet the 24-year-old signs. A report earlier this season suggesting McGee would seek an average salary of $14MM was met with jokes and skepticism at the time, but the center's play since joining the Nuggets has certainly improved his stock. When I previewed McGee's free agency on Monday, I predicted an average annual salary of about $8-9MM, but that estimate may end up being light.