Kings Offer Iguodala Four-Year, $56MM Deal
10:08pm: The Kings offered Iguodala a four-year, $56MM deal, league sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). That comes out to an average annual value of $14MM.
8:42pm: The Kings have made signing free agent Andre Iguodala their top priority, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, Tyreke Evans is being pushed closer to the Pelicans, as the Kings are leaning strongly against matching his four-year, $44MM offer sheet.
It remains to be seen whether the Kings and their new ownership group can assemble an offer big enough to steal Iguodala away from the Nuggets, who are determined to hang onto him. Making matters even more difficult, Iguodala is also drawing interest from other suitors including the Pistons and Warriors.
The Kings' current stance, according to sources, is that matching the Pelicans' offer sheet for Evans would be too pricey, especially after Sacramento drafted Ben McLemore with the No. 7 pick.
FA Updates: Jennings, Oden, Calderon, Knicks
The second day of 2013 free agency is underway, and we can probably expect to see a few more agreements reached today. In the meantime, here are a few news items and rumors on some notable free agents:
- Brandon Jennings' representatives at Excel Sports gave the Bucks an undisclosed amount on Monday that Jennings would be willing to accept to re-sign with the team, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. According to Spears, Milwaukee would prefer to sign Jennings outright rather than having to decide whether to match an offer sheet, but it's not clear whether the team is on board with the figure Jennings has in mind.
- Free agent big man Greg Oden will likely choose between the Spurs, Heat, Cavs, Celtics, and Grizzlies, a source close to the player told ESPN.com's Jeff Goodman. Yesterday, we heard that those five clubs were interested in the former No. 1 overall pick as well as the Pacers, Kings, and Mavericks.
- Jose Calderon is meeting with the Kings in Sacramento today, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
- The Bucks, Blazers, Spurs, and Hawks are pursuing Zaza Pachulia, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
- Nate Robinson and Matt Barnes have notified the Knicks that they're interested in signing with the club, and are waiting to see "where the Knicks are," a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
- Flip Saunders and the Timberwolves have inquired on Nick Young, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter).
Latest On Tyreke Evans
While a number of unrestricted free agents reached agreements with teams yesterday, one restricted free agent was making headlines as well, as word broke that the Pelicans had extended a four-year offer sheet worth a reported $44MM to Tyreke Evans.
Evans also met with the Pistons and Kings on Monday, and according to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), the 23-year-old old left the meeting with Sacramento encouraged by the team's message. It's not clear how the meeting with Detroit went, though with the Pistons also pursuing Josh Smith and Andre Iguodala, they may not be inclined to top New Orleans' offer for Evans.
According to Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter), Evans has another meeting scheduled for today with the Hawks, who have the cap flexibility to match or exceed the Pelicans' offer if they so choose.
As for the Pelicans, they'll probably want an answer on their offer sheet by later this week, since the team will likely have to trade or release Robin Lopez by July 5th to clear the necessary space for Evans. ESPN.com's Marc Stein tweets that New Orleans' preference is to sign Evans without having to trade Eric Gordon.
Should Evans sign the Pelicans' offer sheet, it's not certain whether the Kings would match it or let him walk. However, Amick does provide one interesting detail on Sacramento's meeting with Evans, tweeting that Chris Mullin is involved on some level with the Kings and was discussed during the meeting. Sacramento offered Mullin a position as a consultant last month, and according to Amick (via Twitter), it's clear the ex-Warrior is advising the team on some level, even if he doesn't have an official title.
Pelicans Trying To Unload Robin Lopez
The Pelicans have made a lucrative offer to restricted free agent Tyreke Evans, and to clear space for it, the team is trying to rid itself of Robin Lopez's contract, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Lopez is set to make about $5.1MM this season, but that contract is only guaranteed for $500K as long as he's waived on or before Friday. If he's still on the roster after that, his $5.34MM salary for 2014/15 becomes guaranteed, too, making the team's decision doubly important.
I'd imagine the Pelicans would seek trade options for Lopez before simply cutting him loose. The rumored offer to Evans, at four years and $58MM, would push New Orleans to roughly $53.5MM worth of guaranteed salary for 2013/14, not including Lopez's deal. The Pelicans also have backup big man Jason Smith on the books for $2.5MM next season, after his contract became fully guaranteed when he wasn't waived yesterday.
The Kings are considering telling Evans that they're prepared to match the deal, but if they inform him otherwise, he's likely to sign the offer sheet from the Pelicans, Sam Amick of USA Today reports. An agreement would no doubt accelerate talks with other teams, and though Lopez is by no means a frontline starting center like his brother, Brook Lopez, he represents a viable option at the five spot that should be attractive to many around the league.
The Kings may also try to engineer a sign-and-trade with Evans to send him to New Orleans, according to John Reid of The Times Picayune (Twitter link), so perhaps Lopez could be a part of those talks, though that's just my speculation.
Pelicans Offer Four-Year Deal To Tyreke Evans
3:51pm: The value of the Pelicans' offer sheet seems to be growing by the minute, as Sam Amick of USA Today now tweets that it's worth $48MM. While various outlets can't seem to agree on the exact amount, Amick notes that it's unlikely the Kings would match an offer of $44-48MM.
3:44pm: The Pelicans' four-year offer to Evans is worth $44MM, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
3:27pm: After meeting with Tyreke Evans overnight, the Pelicans made a "lucrative" four-year offer to the restricted free agent, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter). According to Sean Deveney of the Sporting News (via Twitter), the offer is worth $40MM over four years. Evans is scheduled to meet with the Pistons and Kings today.
If Evans, 23, were to agree to terms with the Pelicans, he wouldn't be able to sign an offer sheet until the July moratorium is lifted on the 10th. Once he signed, the Kings would have three days to decide whether to match the offer or let Evans walk.
Of course, there's no guarantee Evans will sign the Pelicans' sheet. It's possible that the Pistons, Kings, or another club could top that offer, and it's not clear what sort of fit Evans would be in New Orleans anyway. There's a belief that the 23-year-old is reluctant to join a team where he'd be playing small forward, and New Orleans' backcourt appears crowded, with Jrue Holiday, Greivis Vasquez, and Eric Gordon all under contract through at least next season.
If Evans were to end up with the Pelicans, the team's intention would be to use him off the bench in a role similar to Manu Ginobili's with the Spurs, tweets Deveney.
Odds & Ends: Kings, Lee, Martin, Cavs, Bulls
Tyreke Evans is being courted by the Pelicans and Andre Iguodala is reportedly drawing interest from several teams, but the Kings are expected to make a pitch to both players today. Bryan May of News10 in Sacramento reports (via Twitter) that Sacramento brass is scheduled to meet with Evans and Iguodala in Los Angeles today.
Here are a few more Monday odds and ends from around the NBA:
- Evans is also expected to meet with the Pistons today, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News follows up on Adrian Wojnarowski's report of the Warriors gauging trade interest in David Lee by exploring the possibility of a deal and noting that the Warriors were "quickly rebuffed" when they offered Lee to the Lakers last year in a proposal for Pau Gasol.
- Expect the Grizzlies to become more interested in Kevin Martin if they're unable to bring back Tony Allen, tweets TNT's David Aldridge.
- The Cavaliers came close to acquiring a second top-10 pick in last week's draft, with an eye on adding Alex Len or Ben McLemore, says Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio.
- Thunder fans shouldn't worry that his new partnership with Jay-Z and Roc Nation Sports means he'll be leaving Oklahoma City, Kevin Durant tells Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman.
- 2011 second-round pick Bojan Bogdanovic continues to have interest in coming stateside to play for the Nets, but if Brooklyn uses its mini mid-level exception on a player like Kyle Korver, it's unlikely that Bogdanovic comes over this season, as Sean Deveney of the Sporting News writes.
- Bulls GM Gar Forman has reached out to free agents Nate Robinson, Marco Belinelli, and Nazr Mohammed, but sounds much more confident about retaining Mohammed than the other two. Doug Padilla of ESPNChicago.com has the details.
Big Man Rumors: Bynum, Wright, Oden, Mullens
Earlier this afternoon, we passed along a few notes and rumors related to point guards. Now let's go a little bigger, with a focus on free agent centers….
- The Mavericks were one of several teams to contact Andrew Bynum shortly after free agency began last night, agent David Lee tells Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com. The Mavs, like all the teams chasing after Dwight Howard, are also in the market for Bynum as a fallback option, and the Trail Blazers and Cavaliers are reportedly pursuing the oft-injured center as well.
- Dallas would like to retain Brandan Wright, but the Hawks, Magic, Pistons, Raptors, and Knicks all expressed interest in the Jim Tanner client after free agency began last night, McMahon reports. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link) also adds the Lakers to the list of potential suitors for Wright.
- The Heat, Spurs, Cavs, Celtics, Mavericks, Kings, Pacers, and Grizzlies all have interest in Greg Oden, but the former No. 1 overall pick is in no rush to make his decision on where to sign, writes Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. He's hoping to be physically ready to play by training camp.
- According to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter), it's unlikely that Oden lands with the Cavs.
- The Lakers have inquired on Byron Mullens, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Mullens became an unrestricted free agent when the Bobcats didn't tender him a qualifying offer.
- The Heat are in contact with Chris Andersen's camp in the hopes of working out a deal, tweets Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida.
Free Agency Notes: Smith, Evans, Blazers, Kaman
It's officially the start of free agency! Here's the latest as we enter July..
- A source tells Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News (Twitter link) that the Pistons will absolutely not offer Josh Smith a max deal. We learned earlier today that Detroit is among the teams targeting the Hawks free agent.
- The Pelicans will have a sizable offer sheet ready for Tyreke Evans when they meet with him tonight, tweets David Aldridge of NBA.com. We learned earlier tonight that New Orleans was set to be the first team to meet with the Kings guard. Meanwhile, sources tell Marc J. Spears of Yahoo (Twitter link) that while the Pelicans got the first meeting with the 23-year-old, he will still do his due diligence on teams and the Kings are still in the mix.
- The Blazers and the reps for center Chris Kaman are expected to meet face-to-face now that free agency is underway, tweets Joe Freeman of The Oregonian. Both the unrestricted free agent and the club feel that it would be a "great fit" (link).
- The Jazz and Lakers were the first two teams to inquire on Knicks free agent Chris Copeland tonight, tweets Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com.
Western Notes: Rockets, Iguodala, Clippers
The Rockets have been expected to waive Carlos Delfino and Aaron Brooks before their salaries become fully guaranteed at the end of today, but Marc Stein of ESPN.com hears the team is still pursuing 11th-hour trade possibilities for the two, despite the slim chance they'll find a deal (Twitter links). That's just one of many news items out of the West with free agency less than 12 hours away:
- With a host of teams vying for Andre Iguodala, Nuggets GM Tim Connelly and coach Brian Shaw will meet with Iguodala on Monday in Los Angeles, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
- Doc Rivers is downplaying talk of a trade involving Eric Bledsoe or anyone else, as Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times notes. The Clippers have interest in retaining Lamar Odom and Matt Barnes, Turner reports, adding that the Lakers are also high on Barnes.
- Though the Clippers reportedly prefer Andrea Bargnani to DeMar DeRozan, Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun notes that Rivers has always held DeRozan in high regard (Twitter link).
- O.J. Mayo is expected to turn down his $4.2MM player option for next season, and while his preference is to return to Dallas, the Mavs won't receive a discount, tweets Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- Carl Landry's first priority will be to re-sign with the Warriors, but he believes there will be about half a dozen teams pursuing him, and he expects the Blazers to be one of them, the power forward tells Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Landry reciprocates Portland's interest.
- The Suns won't be in the market for big-ticket free agents, writes Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The team prefers to keep its cap flexibility to accomodate an enticing trade possibility or next year's crop of free agents. The Suns will be in contact with Wesley Johnson, one of their own free agents, Coro says.
- New Kings GM Pete D'Alessandro is promising an "aggressive" approach to the offseason, as Ailene Voisin of the Sacramento Bee observes. The Kings won't simply let restricted free agent Tyreke Evans go without matching his offer or working out a sign-and-trade, writes Voisin, who pegs his market value at between $8MM and $10MM per year.
- Yesterday was the deadline for the Spurs to waive Matt Bonner before his $3.945MM salary for next season, which had been partially guaranteed for $1MM, became fully guaranteed. So, Bonner will be back, unless the team waives him via amnesty, as Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News points out as he examines the Spurs' offseason.
Pelicans Have Strong Interest In Andre Iguodala
The Pelicans have strong interest in free agent swingman Andre Iguodala, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Nuggets, Hawks, Pistons, Kings, Mavs, Warriors and Rockets are all in the mix as well, according to USA Today's Sam Amick (Twitter link). When Iguodala opted out of his contract with Denver this month, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports identified many of those teams, along with the Cavs, as likely to have interest in the Rob Pelinka client.
The Pelicans appear to be one of the most aggressive teams this offseason, already having pulled off a trade at the draft for Jrue Holiday, Iguodala's former teammate in Philadelphia. New Orleans is also said to be making Eric Gordon "very available" in trade talks. The Pelicans will have plenty of cap space available if they wish to make Iguodala a maximum-salary offer, but I'm not sure they'd need to go that far. The max for the nine-year veteran would entail a starting salary worth 30% of the salary cap, or around $19.5MM. He would have made $16.155MM had he opted in with Denver.
Among the other teams pursuing Iguodala, the Rockets and Mavs will focus first on higher priorities like Dwight Howard, as Amick tweets, also noting that the Warriors interest in Iguodala is likely only cursory, given their lack of cap space and proximity to the luxury tax line. The Warriors are pursuing Howard, too, but that, too, appears a longshot.