Portland Trail Blazers Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Renounced Players: Wednesday

July 10th, 2013 at 9:58pm CST by Luke Adams

As teams clear cap space to finalize signings and trades, it may mean renouncing Early Bird or Bird rights to their own free agents, in order to remove cap holds from the books. Once a player is renounced, his previous team has no more claim to him that any other team — he could still be re-signed, but it would have to be done using cap space or an exception. Some of those decisions are more notable than others, but for completion's sake, we'll track the latest of these cap-clearing moves right here:

Mo Williams is the most prominent name among the several whose rights the Jazz renounced today, according to the RealGM transaction log. Al Jefferson, DeMarre Carroll and Earl Watson, who already have deals to join other teams, are also on the list, as are the long-retired Brevin Knight and Greg Ostertag.
Bobcats are set to re-sign Josh McRoberts, but they won't be using their Early Bird rights to do so, as they've renounced his rights, RealGM shows. The team also renounced their rights to Reggie Williams, who's heading to the Rockets, and it cut ties with DeSagana Diop, Byron Mullens and Jannero Pargo, too.
Golden State will sign Jermaine O'Neal, so the Suns have renounced his rights, as well as their rights to Wesley Johnson and Diante Garrett, as RealGM notes.

Earlier updates:

The Hawks have cleared out unwanted cap holds from their books, renouncing their rights to Hilton Armstrong, Erick Dampier, Devin Harris, Dahntay Jones, Randolph Morris, Zaza Pachulia, Johan Petro, Josh Smith, and Etan Thomas, according to RealGM.com's transactions log.
RealGM.com also has the Trail Blazers renouncing multiple players, including Luke Babbitt, J.J. Hickson, Eric Maynor, and Nolan Smith.
Most interestingly, according to RealGM.com, the Bucks have renounced their rights to Monta Ellis. That doesn't necessarily preclude a sign-and-trade, but it would mean the team would have to use cap space rather than Ellis' Bird rights to accommodate a deal.
The Pelicans have renounced their rights to Louis Amundson, Xavier Henry, and Roger Mason Jr., the team announced today in a press release.
In order to clear cap room for their signings, the Pistons renounced Will Bynum, Jose Calderon, Vernon Macklin, Corey Maggette, Jason Maxiell, and Ben Wallace, according to RealGM's transactions log. The Pistons plan to re-sign Bynum, but removing his $6MM+ cap hold and signing him to a smaller figure using cap space makes the most sense.
After renouncing their rights to Chauncey Billups and Lamar Odom, the Clippers have also renounced Bobby Simmons, according to RealGM.com's transactions log.

Trail Blazers Sign Earl Watson

July 10th, 2013 at 8:34pm CST by Spencer Lund

JULY 10TH: The Blazers have officially signed Watson, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 6TH: Citing agent Mark Bartelstein, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Trail Blazers have agreed to terms for a one-year veteran's minimum deal with unrestricted free agent Earl Watson (Twitter links).

Watson averaged 2.0 PPG and 4.0 APG in 17.3 MPG during 48 contests with the Jazz last year. He'll make $1.4MM in the one-year deal. Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune adds (Twitter) that Watson was suffering from a sports hernia even after coming back from knee surgery during the first part of the 2012/13 season.

Pelicans, Kings, Blazers Agree To Three-Way Deal

July 10th, 2013 at 7:15pm CST by Luke Adams

7:15pm: The Kings press release on the deal has Sacramento acquiring Vasquez from the Pelicans in exchange for Evans. The Kings also say they wind up with a 2016 second-round pick and future second-round considerations, presumably from the Blazers.

6:43pm: The Blazers announced their part, with Lopez and Harris coming from the Pelicans in exchange for Jeff Withey, future second-round draft considerations, and cash.

JULY 10TH, 6:12pm: The Pelicans have confirmed their end of the trade, via press release. They acquire Evans and Withey, send Lopez and Harris to the Blazers, and ship Vasquez to the Kings.

JULY 4TH, 6:04pm: Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Portland will send Jeff Withey to the Pelicans and a future second round pick to the Kings as part of the three-team deal (Twitter links).

4:44pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that Terrel Harris, who is on a non-guaranteed contract, will also be sent to the Blazers in the deal. Meanwhile, Portland will pay Lopez's 15% trade kicker, which will be worth about $1.57MM in total, spread equally across the next two seasons. Stein adds that Sacramento will be receiving two second-round picks from the Blazers, rather than one.

4:39pm: The Pelicans will receive cash and future draft picks from the Blazers in the deal, tweets John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Sam Amick of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that the Kings will also receive a future second-rounder from Portland.

3:55pm: The Pelicans, Kings, and Trail Blazers have verbally agreed to a three-way deal that will make Tyreke Evans a Pelican, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). The deal will send Evans to the Pelicans, Robin Lopez to the Trail Blazers, and Greivis Vasquez to the Kings, with the Blazers sending out picks and cash, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

Evans had been preparing to sign a four-year, $44MM offer sheet with New Orleans, so rather than lose him for nothing, the Kings decided to negotiate a sign-and-trade deal. The Pelicans had been motivated to move Lopez in order to make room under the cap for their offer to Evans, so involving the two players in the same deal made sense. Meanwhile, with New Orleans putting together a backcourt that will feature Evans, Jrue Holiday, and Eric Gordon, Vasquez was the odd man out, making him expendable as well.

Sacramento agreed to complete the three-way deal with the Blazers and Pelicans after Jose Calderon passed on an opportunity to sign with the team. According to Wojnarowski, the Kings wanted to sign Calderon and flip Vasquez to another team, but the Spaniard decided he didn't want to be part of a full-blown rebuild in Sacramento. Calderon will continue to negotiate with other teams, including the Pistons, tweets Wojnarowski.

As for the Pelicans, they get their man in Evans and figure to use him off the bench in a Manu Ginobili-type role, behind a starting backcourt of Holiday and Gordon. It's not clear where the cash and picks coming from the Blazers are headed, but I would guess the Pelicans will acquire something from Portland, since New Orleans is sending out multiple players in the move.

For Sacramento, the deal gives the team the opportunity to regain some value for Evans, and Vasquez's modest $2.15MM salary will allow the club to retain plenty of cap space to pursue other players. The Kings previously withdrew a four-year offer for Andre Iguodala, but should still have the flexibility to pursue Iguodala again, if they so choose. Sacramento may also get in on those draft and cash considerations from Portland, though we'll have to wait for further word.

Meanwhile, the Blazers continue to make use of their summer cap space by making trades rather than signing free agents, as Lopez will be absorbed using the team's room under the cap. Portland also agreed to acquire Thomas Robinson from the Rockets without including any outgoing salary. At the moment, only $500K of Lopez's 2013/14 salary is guaranteed, but the next two years of his contract will become guaranteed this weekend, since he won't be waived by tomorrow. He'll earn $5.12MM next season and $5.34MM in '14/15.

The three teams will be able to finalize the transaction when the July moratorium lifts next Wednesday.

Odds & Ends: Kings, Tolliver, Lakers, Ellis

July 10th, 2013 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

After a bid to relocate the NBA's Kings failed, Seattle-based investors also reportedly explored the possibility of moving the NHL's Phoenix Coyotes to the city. Although the franchise appears to be staying put in Phoenix, Seattle wasn't the only city interested in relocating it. According to Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com, Paul Allen and the Trail Blazers were also interested in buying the Coyotes and moving the team to Portland's Rose Garden.

Here are more odds and ends from around the NBA on a very busy Wednesday:

The Kings have named high-ranking NBA executive Chris Granger as their new team president, according to Ryan Lillis of the Sacramento Bee. Granger, who had been the executive VP of team marketing and business operations for the NBA, will oversee the team's role in the development of a new downtown sports arena and its business operations, says Lillis. It doesn't sound like Granger will be involved much, if at all, in the Kings' basketball operations.
Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal Constitution reports (via Twitter) that Anthony Tolliver is in talks with five teams, including the Hawks, and hopes to make a decision soon.
The Lakers have had conversations with Josh Powell's representative, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. McMenamin adds in a second tweet that the team has also spoken to a couple more former Lakers: Sasha Vujacic and Lamar Odom.
As Monta Ellis continues to seek a free agent deal, there doesn't appear to be a clear favorite to sign him, writes Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld. News broke today that Ellis has parted ways with his longtime agent.
Elton Brand and Brandan Wright are still talking to the Mavericks about a potential return, but Rodrigue Beaubois is almost certainly headed elsewhere, as GM Donnie Nelson told reporters today, including Bryan Gutierrez of ESPNDallas.com.
Before he agreed to sign with the Bobcats, Al Jefferson received interest from the Mavericks and Pelicans, tweets Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer.

Trail Blazers Sign Allen Crabbe

July 10th, 2013 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

2:45pm: Crabbe's deal is a three-year contract with a team option on the third year, tweets Joe Freeman of the Oregonian.

WEDNESDAY, 10:52am: Crabbe has officially signed with the Blazers, according to team owner Paul Allen (via Twitter).

TUESDAY, 4:23pm: Allen Crabbe will sign his contract with the Trail Blazers tonight, reports Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge (via Twitter). Because he was the first pick of the second round in the draft, Crabbe isn't eligible for a standard rookie-scale deal.

Crabbe, 21, was regarded as one of the better shooters in the draft, having averaged 18.4 PPG during his junior year at California. It's not clear how many years or dollars he and the Blazers have agreed to, but a minimum-salary contract is one possibility. If Crabbe receives more than the minimum, Portland can use either its cap space or a portion of its room exception for the deal.

Wizards Sign Eric Maynor

July 10th, 2013 at 11:58am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 10TH, 11:58am: The Wizards have officially signed Maynor, according to the team (Twitter link).

JULY 1ST, 7:15pm: The deal will likely be a two-year pact for the bi-annual exception, with a player option in the final season, TNT's David Aldridge tweets. That would entail a starting salary of $2.016MM if Maynor gets the full value of the exception.

7:00pm: Eric Maynor and the Wizards have agreed to a multiyear deal, tweets Michael Lee of The Washington Post. The Wizards had been reaching out to reserve point guards, sources told HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy earlier today (Twitter link), and they had interest in Beno Udrih, Darren Collison and John Lucas III in addition to Maynor, according to Lee. They contacted the representatives for Maynor, Collison and Lucas, according to Lee's sources, and they've also reached out to Garrett Temple while keeping A.J. Price on their radar.

The Andy Miller client hit the unrestricted free agent market when the Blazers decided against making him a qualifying offer, but over the course of the spring both Maynor and Portland had expressed interest in a return. It was the drafting of C.J. McCollum seemed to signal the end for Maynor with the Blazers, The Oregonian's Joe Freeman noted.

Maynor's best days were as a backup to Russell Westbrook in Oklahoma City, but he had trouble getting back on track after a torn ACL caused him to miss much of 2011/12. The Thunder shipped him to the Blazers at the deadline this past season, and now Maynor will serve as a backup for John Wall in Washington.

Blazers Acquire Thomas Robinson

July 10th, 2013 at 10:54am CST by Zachary Links

JULY 10TH: The Blazers have formally finalized their acquisition of Robinson from the Rockets, according to team owner Paul Allen (via Twitter). The picks being sent to Houston will be a 2015 second-rounder from the Wolves or Nuggets (whichever pick is higher) and a 2017 second-rounder from the Blazers, tweets Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle.

JUNE 30TH: The Trail Blazers have agreed to acquire forward Thomas Robinson from the Rockets, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The deal allows Houston to clear enough cap space in order to offer a maximum contract to Dwight Howard.

Portland will send the Rockets the draft rights to Kostas Papanikolau and Marko Todorovic and two future second-round picks, league sources said. With the forward's salary now off of the books, the Rockets can offer Howard a four-year deal worth roughly $88MM in their meeting later tonight.

Robinson earns $3.5MM next season — not an unreasonable amount for a player with his potential, but too much for the Rockets as they need to squeeze in a max contract for this summer's top available big man. Houston also cut Aaron Brooks and Carlos Delfino loose last week in order to carve out space for D12.

The fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft averaged 4.8 PPG and 4.5 RPG in limited playing time last season. This is his second trade with the first coming at the deadline earlier this year, sending him from Sacramento to Houston.

Blazers Sign Dorell Wright

July 10th, 2013 at 10:53am CST by Zachary Links

JULY 10TH: The Blazers have officially signed Wright, according to team owner Paul Allen (via Twitter).

JULY 6TH: The Blazers have reached agreement on a two-year deal with Dorell Wright, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The pact will give the small forward a total of $6MM, Wojnarowski adds, and USA Today's Sam Amick reports that it includes no options and is fully guaranteed (Twitter link).

The Oregonian's Jason Quick heard last night that the Blazers were among several teams pursuing the Greg Lawrence client. The Thunder reportedly offered Wright his pick of contracts for either one or two years, and the Blazers did something similar, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports, who named the Spurs, Grizzlies and Mavericks as some of Wright's other suitors. The Wolves also appeared to be in the mix.

Wright spent last season with Philadelphia, where he came off the bench after spending two seasons as the starting small forward for the Warriors. His 37.4% three-point shooting was slightly above his career average of 36.7%, but his field goal shooting as a whole was just 39.6%, his lowest since a three-game cameo with the Heat as a 19-year-old rookie in 2004/05.

The free agent signing is the first of the summer for Portland, which has instead used its cap space to acquire Robin Lopez and Thomas Robinson via trade. The drafting of C.J. McCollum put together with these moves figures to boost the team's bench, which had been Portland's main weakness last year.

Chuck Myron contributed to this post.

Odds & Ends: Clippers, Pistons, Cavs, Ellington

July 7th, 2013 at 7:52am CST by Spencer Lund

The Clippers seem to be done with all their moves this summer and will probably just sign minimum level contracts from here on out, writes Eric Pincus of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). But Pincus also tweeted an update on the Clippers' salary info after the Darren Collison signing that used part of their available MLE earlier tonight.

The deal means Matt Barnes will get less as part of his announced re-signing with the Clippers yesterday. It was reported he'd worked out a three-year deal worth between $11-$12MM, but after Pincus' math that's likely to drop as they split the MLE with Barnes dropping to $10MM over three years.

Here's some more around the league, including teams pursuing free agent Wayne Ellington and the Cavs' future after signing Jarrett Jack.

League sources tell RealGM's Shams Charania that the Kings are eyeing free agent Sam Young of the Pacers.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio says free agent guard Wayne Ellington is drawing interest from the Bulls, Bucks and Pistons (Twitter).
About the Pistons, USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt says (via Twitter) that even though they landed free agent Josh Smith, they still want a point guard and shooting wing, the latter role one Ellington could fulfill.
Keith Langlois of Pistons.com says (via Twitter) that there are 34 players making over $13.5MM next season. He goes on to say that number helps put "youknowwhat" into perspective. We're guessing it's the four-year $54MM (or $56MM, with performance incentives) Josh Smith just agreed to signed for with the Pistons.
A source has told 1500ESPN.com's Darren Wolfson the Timberwolves are maintaining a regular dialogue with unrestricted free agent Alan Anderson's camp (Twitter).
Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal takes a look at how the Cavs roster is beginning to take shape in the wake of their agreement with Jarrett Jack.
Lloyd adds (via Twitter) that the Jack signing probably ends their flirtation with Ellington, whom they didn't tender a qualifying offer because they wanted an upgrade of the kind Jack gives them.

Blazers Waive Sasha Pavlovic

July 6th, 2013 at 4:23pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Blazers have waived Sasha Pavlovic, the team announced via Twitter. Pavlovic's deal extended through 2014/15, but both years left on it were non-guaranteed, meaning Portland doesn't owe him any more money after paying him $1,232,713 this past season. Pavlovic was acquired last summer as part of a three-team sign-and-trade arrangement, and he seemed to be included in the deal simply to make the salaries match. Since players who are signed-and-traded must be given three-year deals, that's what Pavlovic got, but the lack of guaranteed money allows the Blazers to part ways with him now.

The Dan Fegan client will hit the free agent market, unless another team puts in a claim for him, which would be unlikely. He was in and out of Portland's rotation this past season, averaging 2.6 points in 13.5 minutes per game. With the team's acquisition of C.J. McCollum at the draft and its agreement today to sign Dorell Wright, the Blazers added depth at the wing positions, likely eliminating any need to keep Pavlovic around.

Pavlovic was set to earn close to $1.4MM this season and nearly $1.5MM in 2014/15, so his release figures to give the Blazers a little more wiggle room under the cap. Still, it'll be a tight squeeze if they want to sign anyone else, given their trades for Robin Lopez and Thomas Robinson. Portland's best weapon left might be its $2.65MM room exception.