Shannon Brown

Eastern Rumors: Brown, Allen, Mahinmi

Derrick Rose will be coming off the bench for Team USA, but the point guard and Team USA officials have insisted his limited role and rest patterns are about team fit and precaution, not physical concerns. Bulls fans certainly hope that is the case, and that the explosive Rose won’t be limited in any way when he returns to Chicago’s starting lineup for the 2014/15 season. Here’s a look around the rest of the Eastern Conference:

  • Shannon Brown‘s one-year deal with the Heat is completely non-guaranteed, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
  • Although Ray Allen is receiving interest from “several teams,” the shooting guard is still unsure if he wants to return for another season, tweets Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders. The Cavs have been considered a front-runner for the storied veteran’s services, although the Clippers are expected to take a run at reuniting him with former coach Doc Rivers.
  • Ian Mahinmi is expected to miss 2-3 months with a shoulder injury, the French national team’s doctor tweets (translation via the Indianapolis Star). Mahinmi withdrew from FIBA competition, and that timetable could cut into the Pacers’ season. Mahinmi’s status could affect Indiana’s willingness to shop starting center Roy Hibbert, although it’s worth noting that injuries can be overstated to reduce the negative reaction to a player opting not to represent their country.

Heat Sign Shannon Brown

5:15pm: The signing is official, the team announced.

3:10pm: The Heat and Shannon Brown have come to terms, according to the Priority Sports agency that represents the free agent shooting guard (Twitter link; hat tip to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today). Sam Amick of USA Today hears it’s a one-year, $1.3MM deal (Twitter link), so that appears to be rounded down from the $1,310,286 minimum salary for a veteran of eight years, as Brown is. That stands to reason, since Miami is limited to handing out only the minimum.

A report from about a week ago indicated that finding a shooting guard was a priority for the Heat, though Brown wasn’t among the players linked to the team. The rumor mill surrounding the 28-year-old has been quiet since the Knicks waived him rather than guaranteeing his contract last month. It remains to be seen whether the Heat are including any sort of guarantee in their pact with the Mark Bartelstein client.

Brown, a former 25th overall pick, spent the first half of last season out of the league after the Wizards let him go following the Marcin Gortat trade that brought him from Phoenix, where he’d put up back-to-back career highs in minutes per game. The Spurs brought him in on a pair of 10-day contracts in February, and the Knicks later did the same before signing him to a deal that covered the rest of the season with a non-guaranteed 2014/15 salary tacked on.

The Heat had been carrying just 14 deals with any guaranteed money, as our roster counts show, so Brown appears to have a strong chance to remain with the team come opening night.

Knicks Waive Shannon Brown

The Knicks have waived Shannon Brown, the team announced (via Twitter). His non-guaranteed contract for the minimum salary was to have become fully guaranteed if the Knicks hadn’t waived him by the end of August 1st.

The move is somewhat surprising, given Brown’s ties to Knicks team president Phil Jackson, who was Brown’s coach when they were together with the Lakers. New York gave Brown his deal this past March soon after hiring Jackson, though Brown initially joined the club on a pair of 10-day contracts that predated Jackson’s arrival.

Brown, 28, averaged just 2.1 points and 7.8 minutes per game in 19 appearances for the Knicks this year, having seen only slightly more playing time in a 10-game stint with the Spurs earlier in the season. He had a much larger role the previous two seasons with the Suns, including a career-high 11.0 points per game in 2011/12, but Phoenix sent him to Washington in the Marcin Gortat trade, and the Wizards promptly waived him to get down to 15 players before opening night. The eight-year veteran spent the first three months of the season without an NBA deal.

Contract Details: Knicks, Pelicans, Heat, Bulls

August 1st will be a key date for many teams and players in the NBA, as Mark Deeks of ShamSports details in the latest update to his salary database. Knicks guard Shannon Brown and Melvin Ely of the Pelicans have their minimum-salary contracts fully guaranteed if their respective teams don’t waive them by the end of that day, Deeks reports. It’s also the day when Justin Hamilton of the Heat earns a partial guarantee of $408,241 and Bulls big man Lou Amundson has his deal partially guaranteed for $300K if they’re not waived, according to Deeks. The salary data guru has a few more revelations, as we note below:

  • Hamilton’s partial guarantee increases to $612,362 should the Heat elect not to waive by the end of December 1st.
  • Lamar Odom‘s deal becomes fully guaranteed if he remains on the Knicks roster past September 10th.
  • The Knicks have another deadline to consider on September 15th, the final day they can waive Jeremy Tyler without owing him a $100K partial guarantee.
  • Jorge Gutierrez receives a $25K partial guarantee if he sticks with the Nets past September 26th.
  • Jarvis Varnado‘s deal with the Sixers is already partially guaranteed for $75K.

Knicks Sign Shannon Brown For Rest Of Season

The Knicks have signed Shannon Brown for the rest of the season, the team announced via Twitter. The tweet notes that the team’s latest deal with Earl Clark has expired. The Knicks inked Clark to a pair of 10-day contracts at the same time they did so with Brown, so presumably that means New York doesn’t plan to re-sign Clark. The Knicks now have 14 guaranteed contracts, so they can add another player to replace Clark if they choose.

Brown first joined the Knicks late last month after the team waived Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih. The eighth-year veteran guard saw fewer minutes for New York than Clark did, but neither received significant playing time. Clark played a total of 70 minutes in nine games, averaging 2.6 points per contest. Brown has only seen the floor for 57 minutes across nine games, notching 1.8 PPG. Still, it appears the Knicks prefer to keep an extra guard instead of a forward like Clark.

It’s the first player personnel decision for the Knicks since Phil Jackson came aboard as team president. Brown played for then-coach Jackson for parts of three seasons with the Lakers, winning two championships. Clark also played for the Lakers, but that was after Jackson had stepped down as coach.

Brown has spent much of this season out of the league after the Wizards waived him shortly before the start of the season. He was with the Spurs in February on a pair of 10-day contracts, but San Antonio elected not to keep him for the season. New York’s decision to commit to Brown is a slight boon for the Wizards, who can defray a tiny amount of their remaining debt to the Mark Bartelstein client via set-off rights. Washington released Brown in spite of his $3.5MM guaranteed salary before the season to get down to 15 players after the unbalanced Marcin Gortat trade.

Knicks Sign Earl Clark To Second 10-Day Deal

MONDAY, 3:50pm: The signing is official, the Knicks announced on Twitter.

SATURDAY, 1:32pm: The Knicks are expected to sign Earl Clark to a second 10-day contract after tonight’s game in Cleveland, reports Marc Berman of The New York Post (Twitter link). Clark was signed by the team last week after the Knicks cleared roster space by waiving Beno Udrih and Metta World Peace. Clark can play either forward position for the team. It looks to be another prorated minimum-salary pact for the Kevin Bradbury client.

The 14th overall pick in the 2009 draft had some of the best performances of his career during the 2012/2013 season he spent with the Lakers. He then regressed after signing a two-year, $8.5MM deal with the Cavs during the summer. Cleveland then traded him to the Sixers at the deadline, who waived him less than 24 hours later.

In five games with the Knicks, Clark has averaged 2.63 PPG, 1.8 RPG, 0.4 BPG in 7.8 minutes per contest. There is still no word on the status of Shannon Brown, who also signed a 10-day contract with the team on the same day.

Knicks Sign Shannon Brown To Second 10-Day

3:48pm: The Knicks officially announced the signing, via Twitter.

8:05am: The Knicks will sign Shannon Brown to another 10-day contract today, as Marc Berman of the New York Post notes. Berman reported earlier that Earl Clark will also be getting a second 10-day deal. Both were signed late last month to replace Metta World Peace and Beno Udrih, with whom New York agreed to buyouts.

Brown averaged 2.0 points in 8.2 minutes per game in his first 10-day stint with the Knicks, which ended Saturday. He saw similarly limited playing time on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Spurs earlier this year. It’s his only NBA action in 2013/14, since he spent most of the season as a free agent after Washington released him shortly before the start of the season following his arrival via trade from Phoenix.

The Mark Bartelstein client had a contract guaranteed for $3.5MM this year when the Wizards placed him on waivers, so he continues to receive that salary. Washington recoups a tiny portion of that with each 10-day deal Brown signs this season via set-off rights, with a slightly larger chunk taken off the Wizards’ bill if the Knicks sign Brown for the balance of the season when his latest 10-day pact expires.

Knicks Sign Shannon Brown To 10-Day Deal

THURSDAY, 9:34am: The Knicks have officially announced the signing (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 8:53pm: Broussard tweets that Brown will be playing on a 10-day contract, which gives New York approximately seven games to get a good look at him.

Earlier today, New York had been labeled as a “team to watch” in the race for Jimmer Fredette (who is reportedly discussing a buyout with the Kings) in addition to Dahntay Jones and Tiny Gallon. With Brown and Earl Clark signed, the Knicks roster is now at 15.

8:45pm: The Knicks have agreed in principle to sign Shannon Brown to a 10-day contract, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN (via Twitter). This news comes shortly after ESPN New York’s Ian Begley reported that the team was showing strong interest in the former Michigan State product.

Knicks Interested In Shannon Brown

The Knicks are showing strong interest in free agent guard Shannon Brown, as per ESPN New York’s Ian Begley (Twitter link). Brown recently completed his second 10-day contract with the Spurs, and we noted on Saturday that New York – along with the Rockets, Heat, and Bulls – had expressed interest.

The 6’4 guard has played in 10 games this season, averaging 2.3 PPG in 10.3 MPG. Brown had been a steady rotation player in Phoenix last season, posting 10.5 PPG on 42% shooting in 59 contests.

Odds & Ends: Miller, Sessions, Deng, Brown

Andre Miller was excited when he got word he had been traded, reveals Michael Lee of the Washington Post. “I was ready to go,” said Miller. “I’m glad it’s over. I’ve been sitting around for about a month and a half. I’m happy to be here.” He’ll have the opportunity to help the Wizards make some noise in the East after sitting on the bench since late December. Let’s round up some news from around the NBA:

  • According to HoopsHype, 20 of the 50 most discussed trade candidates wound up being dealt by Thursday’s deadline.
  • Ramon Sessions is content being back with the Bucks, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinal. The Bucks selected Sessions 56th overall in the 2007 draft.
  • The deadline deal between the Bobcats and Bucks is now official per a tweet from Charlotte’s PR account, so Gary Neal and Luke Ridnour can now play playoff-hopefuls in Charlotte.
  • Luol Deng will be a free agent at season’s end, and if he chooses to walk away from the Cavaliers, he’s likely to be pursued by the Mavs, Lakers, Celtics, Magic and Bobcats, hears Mitch Lawrence of the New York Daily News.
  • The Bulls and Spurs are among the teams interested in signing the recently waived Antawn Jamison, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (via Twitter).
  • Shannon Brown is coming off his second 10-day with the Spurs, and although his play for San Antonio was less than stellar, he’s drawing interest from the Rockets, Heat, Bulls, and Knickstweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
  • It wouldn’t be surprising to see the Heat sign two free agents in the coming week, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel, who notes Miami has an open spot from the Roger Mason deal, and also could waive Toney Douglas if they’re interested in more than one guy (Twitter link).
  • An official press release from the Cavaliers revealed the team has assigned Arinze Onuaku to their D-League affiliate, the Canton Charge. Onuaku had been playing for the Charge before signing a 10-day deal with Cleveland but didn’t have his rights owned by the Cavs.
  • Gino Pilato of DLeagueDigest.com explores what went wrong during Pierre Jackson‘s tenure in the D-League.
  • David Stern laid the foundation for continuing growth in the NBA, and Carol Cain of the Detroit Free Press looks back on what he was able to accomplish during his tenure as commissioner.