Blazers Notes: Cap Room, Batum, Sampson
Earlier today, the Trail Blazers announced that they have officially matched the Timberwolves’ offer for forward Nicolas Batum. It always seemed like Portland was going to keep the restrictred free agent this summer, but Minnesota made the Blazers dig deep in order to do so. The offer sheet for Batum was reportedly $46.5MM over four years and includes incentives and a 15% trade kicker that could increase the overall value to $50MM. Here’s more out of Portland..
- General Manager Neil Olshey says that the Blazers have a $3.5MM trade exception from the Raymond Felton deal with the Knicks, meaning that they are still technically over the cap, tweets Jeff Kramer of Storyteller’s Contracts.
- Olshey told reporters, including Ben Golliver of Blazer’s Edge (via Twitter) that the offer sheet wasn’t for as much as reports indicated, though he did not give a figure for its actual value. The GM also acknowledged that the club did its due diligence and talked sign-and-trade with Minnesota before opting to retain Batum.
- Olshey reiterated that he is in “no rush” to hire a head coach and said his search will extend beyond the summer league period, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian.
- Rockets assistant Kelvin Sampson says that the Blazers inquired about him in regards to the head coaching job but hasn’t been asked to interview, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Earlier this week it was reported that the club will interview Patrick Ewing for the job, but it is believed to just be a courtesy.
Trail Blazers To Sign Ronnie Price
4:40pm: The Blazers will sign Price to a minimum-salary deal, Olshey confirmed (Twitter link via Blazers' Edge).
4:31pm: The Trail Blazers will sign Ronnie Price to a contract, perhaps as soon as today, according to Portland GM Neil Olshey (Twitter link via Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge). After they matched the Timberwolves' offer sheet for Nicolas Batum, I don't believe the Blazers have any leftover cap space, so the team figures to sign Price using either the room exception or the minimum salary exception.
Price, a seven-year NBA veteran, played for the Suns in 2011/12 after spending time with the Kings and Jazz in previous years. The 6'2" guard averaged a career-high 14.4 minutes per game in Phoenix, but provided limited production, averaging 3.6 PPG and 1.9 APG to go along with .377/.295/.800 shooting.
The 29-year-old Price, who was an unrestricted free agent, will likely see time behind Damian Lillard at the point in Portland.
Free Agent Rumors: Timberwolves, Rush, Mills
A couple more notable names came off the free agent market this morning, when Kris Humphries landed a two-year deal from the Nets and Grant Hill agreed to sign with the Clippers. While a number of solid rotation players are still available, the market is rapidly thinning for teams in search of starters. As clubs continue to jockey to sign the remaining available players, we'll track many of today's free agent rumors right here:
- Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune lists who the Timberwolves will target with nearly $14MM in cap space if they lose out on Nicolas Batum, specifically highlighting Courtney Lee, Jordan Hill, and Greg Stiemsma.
- Marcus Thompson of the Contra Costa Times says that despite the delay on an official decision regarding Brandon Rush's future, the Warriors are still likely to retain him.
Earlier updates:
Odds & Ends: Gordon, Cavaliers, Vazquez
- Nick Friedell of ESPN Chicago discusses why the Bulls' title window will shrink over the next two seasons.
- Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer describes the progress that Byron Mullens appears to be making with the Bobcats based on his performances at the Las Vegas Summer League.
- 76ers head coach Doug Collins says he feels "very good" about what the team has accomplished during this offseason, writes John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com.
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:
Trail Blazers To Interview Patrick Ewing
9:02pm: A tweet from The Oregonian's Jason Quick reports that Patrick Ewing's interview with the Trail Blazers is believed to be a courtesy. Also, Brian Shaw will interview with Portland.
6:41pm: The Trail Blazers are scheduled to interview Patrick Ewing, according to ESPNNewYork.com's Jared Zwerling.The former assistant coach for the Magic has long been looking to become the lead man with a team, and over the past couple of months has had his name associated with both the Knicks and Bobcats.
Phil Jackson Interested In Role With Trail Blazers
Phil Jackson is interested in joining the Trail Blazers, but not as a head coach, according to the Oregonian's Jason Quick. A source close to the 13-time NBA champion says that while he isn't interested in being a coach, there are other ways he might be able to help the team, including advising trade scenarios and managing the coaching staff, which is currently in flux.
Earlier this week it was reported that the Trail Blazers had been in contact with Jackson for several months, ultimately offering him their head coaching position, which was turned down. Jackson retired from coaching after the 2010/11 season, but his return to the league has been the topic of rumors ever since. In June he was reported to be interested in the Magic's open head coaching position, but that report quickly fell apart.
Atlantic Notes: Lin, Valanciunas, Raptors, Nets
"Though he sure didn't act like it," writes Marc Berman of the New York Post, "Jeremy Lin still wants to be a Knick." Berman cites a source close to Lin who says that the young point guard is hoping the Knicks match Houston's offer sheet. Berman's apparent critique of Lin's handling of free agency is somewhat bizarre, considering the Post scribe reported two weeks ago that the Knicks intended to sit back and wait while Lin went out and let the market set his price tag.
As we wait to see whether the Knicks will truly let Lin walk, here are a few more items out of the Atlantic Division:
- The Knicks still want to make some minor adjustments and figure to make a couple more small moves, says Gery Woefel of the Racine Journal Times (via Twitter).
- Expect the Raptors to sign 2011 fifth overall pick Jonas Valanciunas in the "next couple days," tweets Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
- With Jose Calderon's future in Toronto uncertain, the Raptors would like to upgrade their bench at point guard, says Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
Wolves Officially Sign Batum To Offer Sheet
The Blazers have officially received the offer sheet from Minnesota for restricted free agent Nicolas Batum, tweets Jason Quick of the Oregonian. Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com confirms that it is for four years and $46.5MM with incentives that can take it up to $50MM, as well as a 15% trade kicker.
Nicolas Batum Signs Timberwolves’ Offer Sheet
SATURDAY 7:46pm: The Trail Blazers' unwillingness to work out a sign-and-trade with the Timberwolves may stem from the two teams' ongoing discussions to resolve a dispute involving a prior trade for Webster, reports Ric Bucher of ESPN.com.
FRIDAY 6:15pm: After waiving Martell Webster and trading Brad Miller earlier today, the Timberwolves will not be able to submit their offer sheet to Nicolas Batum until Sunday, writes Jaynes.
THURSDAY 9:51pm: Dwight Jaynes of CSNNW.com writes that Minnesota added a 15% trade kicker to Batum's offer sheet in which a hefty 15% tax is imposed on the team that trades him during his new contract. This essentially makes it more difficult for Portland to match the deal, however, since the Timberwolves have not submitted the offer sheet to the league yet, there still remains the possibility of a sign-and-trade with the Trail Blazers.