Contract Details: Oden, Pargo, Williams, Udrih
Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com has updated his invaluable database of NBA salaries with details on many of the players who have signed over the last couple weeks. We hadn't yet heard the specifics on a number of those contracts, so let's round up the new info….
- Initially reported as a two-year contract with a second-year player option, Greg Oden's deal with the Heat is actually only for one season, according to Deeks.
- Jannero Pargo's one-year, minimum-salary pact with the Bobcats is only currently guaranteed for $300K. Pargo will be assured of his full salary (about $1.4MM) if he remains on the roster past December 10th.
- The Trail Blazers signed Mo Williams using their full room exception, and included a 15% trade kicker in his deal.
- There's also a 15% trade kicker on Beno Udrih's minimum-salary contract with the Knicks.
- Another Knicks signee, Jeremy Tyler, has a $100K guarantee on his two-year deal.
- Carrick Felix's four-year deal with the Cavaliers was originally reported as being fully guaranteed for three seasons. However, according to Deeks, the third year is non-guaranteed, and the fourth year is a team option.
- The first year of Peyton Siva's pact with the Pistons is partially guaranteed for $150K.
- Jeff Withey has a fully guaranteed rookie year with the Pelicans, while his second-year salary won't become guaranteed until next July.
- Ryan Gomes' contract with the Thunder is currently non-guaranteed. He'll receive three $25K bonuses if he remains on the roster beyond September 1st, October 1st, and October 30th, but his salary won't become fully guaranteed until January.
International Notes: McGrady, Cooley, Snaer
The NBA free agent market is drying up, leading many players to look for work overseas. Here's the latest from the international scene:
- Tracy McGrady spent most of 2012/13 in China before hooking on with the Spurs in the final week of the regular season, and he's mulling whether to return to China or seek another NBA deal, according to the Global Times.
- We heard yesterday that undrafted big man Jack Cooley spurned several training camp invitations from NBA teams for a deal with a Turkish team, and agent Adam Pensack let Shams Charania of RealGM.com know the identity of those clubs, some of whom offered partially guaranteed contracts. The Blazers, Grizzlies, Spurs, Thunder, Nets, Heat, Lakers, Rockets, Pacers and Cavs all wanted to sign Cooley, Pensack says.
- The Nets also invited Michael Snaer to camp, but Sportando's Enea Trapani hears that he'll sign with Enel Brindisi of Italy instead (Twitter link).
- A report last month indicated that 42nd overall pick Pierre Jackson, whom the Pelicans acquired in the Jrue Holiday trade, would sign with ASVEL Villeurbanne of France, and Jackson added confirmation via Instagram. Tony Parker owns a share of the French team.
- Shooting guard Carlon Brown was in training camp with the Warriors last fall and spent the season in the D-League, but he'll be overseas for 2013/14, having signed with Hapoel Tel Aviv of Israel. The Israeli league announced the signing via Twitter (hat tip to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando).
Odds & Ends: James, Bobcats, Bucks, Cavs
There are a lot of contenders to the Eastern Conference crown that LeBron James and his Heat teammates have worn the last three seasons. James knows he's got to keep getting better if he wants to remain on top next year and advance to his fourth NBA Finals in his four seasons in Miami.
Shandel Richardson of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel caught up James during his charity event in Akron today to discuss all the wheeling and dealing in the Eastern Conference this off-season.
James is aware that the Heat face an even harder field in the Eastern Conference next season, and he's doing everything in his power to meet the challenge, telling Richardson, "I've seen what so many teams have done to get better. I've seen the moves that we've made, so I've got to do my part."
Here's what else is happening around the league on Saturday night:
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer details how Bobcats GM Rich Cho and President of Basketball Ops Rod Higgins created a balanced roster with all their off-season moves this summer.
- Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel does the same for the Bucks writing that GM John Hammond has them ready for the future.
- The Toronto Sun's Ryan Wolstat live-tweeted much of Canada's game against Jamaica tonight during the Jack Donohue International Classic. Canada came back from a 17-point deficit to get the 77-72 win (Twitter link) as newly right-handed Cavs forward Tristan Thompson led Canada with 16 points and appeared productive (Twitter) with his new shooting hand.
- Mary Schmitt Boyer talks new Cavs coach Mike Brown in her latest mailbag for the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Highly touted 6-6 Australian point guard Dante Exum is a top prospect in next summer's draft. Peter Rolfe of the Australian Herald Sun (by way of RealGM.com) reports that Exum is "50-50" to declare for the draft next June after some scouts pegged him as a top-5 prospect.
- Sam Tongue of Blazers Edge opines that Portland's acquisition of Mo Williams is a move only a playoff team would make, which the Trail Blazers might be after significantly improving their bench this off-season.
Olshey On Williams, Aldridge, Offseason
With the signing of Mo Williams now official, Portland general manager Neil Olshey introduced his newest addition to Blazers fans and media earlier today. Ben Golliver of Blazers Edge provides a transcript here and also offered his own thoughts on what Olshey had to say:
- Olshey indicated that LaMarcus Aldridge was excited by the Blazers signing of Williams, writes Golliver, adding that Aldridge expressed similar sentiments earlier this offseason when Portland added Robin Lopez.
- When asked about the Aldridge trade rumors that surfaced this summer, Olshey lectured the media about spreading false reports in an attempt to be the first to break what would be big news. Olshey assured reporters that Aldridge never asked to be traded and is happy in Portland.
- While Olshey conceded that the Blazers didn't do everything they could to be competitive last year, he also insisted that it was by design. The result, Olshey said, has been the additions of Lopez, Thomas Robinson and now Williams, according to Golliver.
- Williams will be the Blazers' sixth man, writes Mike Tokito of the Oregonian, adding that Olshey was Williams' pre-draft 'coach' a decade ago. Olshey also pushed to bring Williams to the Clippers two seasons ago, where he was able to fit into a guard rotation that contained several guys capable of running the point, much like the situation in Portland.
- Tokito also tweeted that Olshey implied the Williams signing would wrap up Portland's offseason.
Trail Blazers Sign Mo Williams
THURSDAY, 11:07am: The Blazers have officially signed Williams, the team announced today in a press release.
WEDNESDAY, 1:14pm: The Trail Blazers have reached an agreement on a contract with free agent guard Mo Williams, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It'll be a two-year deal worth about $5.6MM, tweets Wojnarowski, while Ken Berger of CBS Sports.com adds (via Twitter) that the second year will be a player option. ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman reported earlier this afternoon that Williams was expected to make his decision as soon as today.
Williams' decision comes as something of a surprise, since the Blazers hadn't been linked to the veteran in recent weeks — the Grizzlies, Heat, and Knicks had been viewed as a few of his primary suitors. Portland also has plenty of backcourt depth already, with Damian Lillard starting at the point and Wesley Matthews at the two. Earl Watson, C.J. McCollum, Terrel Harris, Allen Crabbe, Will Barton, and even Dorell Wright can also play one or both guard positions.
Still, considering the bench was Portland's Achilles heel last year, adding another veteran contributor like Williams to the rotation can't be a bad thing. I'd assume his deal will actually be closer to $5.42MM for two years, since the team is capped out. If the 30-year-old agreed to sign for the room exception, he'll earn about $2.65MM in 2013/14, with an option worth about $2.77MM for the following season.
In 2012/13 with the Jazz, Williams started all 46 games he played for the team, averaging 12.9 PPG and 6.2 APG to go along with shooting percentages of .430/.383/.882. The Blazers will be the fifth team Williams has played for in his NBA career. The 10-year veteran also had two stints in Utah to go along with stops with the Bucks, Cavs, and Clippers.
The agreement with Williams looks like bad news for Harris, who is on a non-guaranteed deal and facing a drug-related suspension. Williams will be Portland's 16th player under contract, so Harris appears to be the odd man out for when the team finalizes its 15-man roster. Teams can carry up to 20 players during the offseason, so he doesn't need to be cut quite yet, but it'd be a surprise if Harris was on Portland's opening night roster.
Four Coaches To Get Second Interviews With 76ers
Sixers owners Josh Harris and David Blitzer will meet this week in New York with Kenny Atkinson, Brett Brown, Adrian Griffin and Jay Larranaga, giving those four their second interviews for the team's head coaching vacancy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Another candidate, David Vanterpool, may join them for what would be his second interview, as well. Sixers assistant coach Michael Curry also remains in the running for the job.
A report this weekend named Vanterpool, a Blazers assistant, the favorite to land the job, while many other recent dispatches put Brown, an assistant with the Spurs, in the lead. The Sixers have been without a coach since Harris confirmed in mid-April that Doug Collins won't be back on the sidelines. New GM Sam Hinkie put the coaching search on the backburner shortly after that, but he's been deliberate even as he's reached out to candidates.
Wojnarowski mentioned Vanterpool, Brown, Curry and Celtics assistant Larranaga among the contenders last week, while a report earlier in July suggested the team had narrowed its choices to Brown and Curry. Atkinson, an assistant with the Hawks, has largely been off the radar aside from the report last month that he would get his first interview. Griffin, a Bulls assistant, interviewed with the Pistons earlier in the offseason, a couple months before the Sixers showed interest.
NBA Suspends Terrel Harris For Drug Violation
The NBA has announced a five-game suspension for Trail Blazers guard Terrel Harris because of a violation of the league's anti-drug program. The nature of Harris' transgression is not immediately clear.
Harris is on a minimum-salary, non-guaranteed deal with the Blazers that becomes partially guaranteed for $150K if he remains on the roster after October 31st. As long as the Blazers don't waive him, he'll get to attend training camp and take part in preseason games with the team, but he's set to miss the first five regular season games. The suspension will carry over if the Blazers cut him and he signs with another NBA club. Harris must serve the suspension without pay, so it would cost him $53,920 out of his full $884,293 salary for this season.
Porter Fischer, the whistleblower in the Biogenesis scandal that's rocking baseball, has claimed that NBA players are involved, but no credible evidence has come forward linking anyone in the league to the Miami clinic that allegedly supplied performmance-enhancing drugs to high-profile athletes. Harris spent 2011/12 and part of 2012/13 as a member of the Heat, though his proximity to the clinic may simply be circumstantial.
The length of the suspension indicates no link to PEDs, as USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt notes (via Twitter). The NBA's collective bargaining agreement calls for a 20-game suspension the first time a player is caught using PEDs.
The Blazers acquired Harris as part of the three-team deal that also brought Robin Lopez to Portland. As Mike Tokito of The Oregonian writes, Harris isn't expected to be part of the team's long-term plans, so the suspension may not affect the Blazers.
Wolfson’s Latest: Pekovic, Aldridge, Redick
Agent Jeff Schwartz's initial asking price for Nikola Pekovic was around $15MM per year, a source tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities, and Schwartz and the Timberwolves continue to haggle over the amount of money the restricted free agent center will get in his next contract. Schwartz knows he won't get $15MM a year from the team, Wolfson tweets. The Wolves are offering four years and $48MM, and though they're willing to add some incentives, it's "nearly ludicrous" to expect that they'll budge from the $12MM annual base salary, as Wolfson writes in his Scoops column. Wolfson has plenty more on Pekovic and other Timberwolves issues, so let's dive in:
- It's possible that Pekovic could wind up with a fifth year in his deal, but it appears four years is more likely.
- A trade that would send Pekovic and Derrick Williams to the Blazers for LaMarcus Aldridge is far-fetched. Minnesota would prefer Kevin Love instead, Wolfson tweets, but Love doesn't appear to be on the market. Schwartz represents Love as well as Pekovic.
- J.J. Redick was five minutes away from heading to another team before talks revved up on the three-team trade that sent him to the Clippers, but that mystery team wasn't the Wolves. Redick met with Wolves brass and was prepared to sign with them, but talks never got that far.
- Andrei Kirilenko's claim that Wolves president of basketball ops Flip Saunders didn't want to give him a long-term contract is incorrect, writes Wolfson, who hears from two people who say Minnesota offered a three-year, $21MM deal.
- The Wolves have not invited Seth Curry to training camp, contrary to a report.
- Lorenzo Brown, Robbie Hummel, Othyus Jeffers and another big man figure to be the contenders for the 15th spot on the Timberwolves opening-night roster.
Western Notes: Aldridge, Griffin, Williams, Grizzlies
In today's chat, Luke Adams gave the Warriors credit for an aggressive offseason, but also noted that they'll have a tough hill to climb given the competition in the West this season. In his view, the best case scenario for Golden State is to capture the third seed with the bottom being something resembling the Lakers' 2012/13 campaign – lots of injuries and fighting just to squeak into the playoffs. The Warriors' summer saw them add Andre Iguodala, Toney Douglas, Marreese Speights, and Jermaine O'Neal while sending $24MM+ in expiring contracts (Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush) to the Jazz. Here's more from the Western Conference..
- Blazers GM Neil Olshey explored the possibility of a LaMarcus Aldridge-for-Blake Griffin swap with the Clippers this summer, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. However, the talks didn't go anywhere. Olshey, of course, was the Clips' assistant GM when the team drafted Griffin. It's not surprising to hear that Olshey put out feelers for such a deal given the questions surrounding Aldridge's future in Portland.
- Free agent Mo Williams is flying in to meet with the Grizzlies' front office tonight, tweets Chris Vernon of 92.9 ESPN Radio. Late last week we learned that Memphis is the mix for the guard while the Heat are also keeping an eye on him.
- There are plenty of obstacles in the way of a positive return to the NBA for Pelicans target Greg Oden, but as one team official tracking Oden told Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com, one can't help but get excited about a big man who can move as well as he can. "He's not that far off microfracture [surgery]," a team executive said in regard to the former No. 1 overall pick. "He still has a way to go to getting his knee where it needs to be, but there are possibilities."
Sixers To Interview David Vanterpool
MONDAY, 1:56pm: Vanterpool's interview is happening in Philadelphia today, according to Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
FRIDAY, 4:23pm: As their search for a new head coach extends into its fourth month, the Sixers have requested and received permission to speak to Trail Blazers assistant David Vanterpool, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It appears to be the first time Vanterpool has been linked to a head coaching opening this offseason.
Spurs assistant Brett Brown and Sixers assistant Michael Curry have long been cited as the frontrunners for Philadelphia's vacancy, but the team's search has been extensive. In addition to Brown, Curry, and Vanterpool, the team has also been linked to Heat assistant David Fizdale, Bulls assistants Ed Pinckney and Adrian Griffin, Hawks assistants Kenny Atkinson and Quin Snyder, Nuggets assistant Melvin Hunt, and Celtics assistant Jay Larranaga.
The 76ers will be the last team to name a new head coach during an offseason in which nearly half of the NBA's clubs made changes. When they officially make a decision, the Sixers will become the 13th team to hire a new head coach since the season ended.