Spurs Sign Patrick Mills
The Spurs have officially signed former Blazer Patrick Mills, the team announced today. The two sides had reached an agreement earlier, but visa issues held up Mills' arrival. The deal will reportedly include a player option in the second year, worth about $1MM.
According to a tweet from Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, the Pistons also wanted to sign Mills. The Rockets were interested in the guard as well, as Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle reported. San Antonio had been searching for a point guard after the abrupt retirement of T.J. Ford, who was subsequently shipped to Golden State for financial reasons in the Stephen Jackson–Richard Jefferson deal.
Mills, a 2009 second-round pick out of St. Mary's College, averaged 5.1 points and 1.5 assists in two seasons as a backup in Portland. He signed with a Chinese team earlier this season, but received FIBA clearance to join an NBA team. The Blazers held Mills' rights as a restricted free agent, but renounced them, allowing him to sign with any team.
The agreement was first reported by Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com, Sam Amick of SI.com, and Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News added details.
Chuck Myron and Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Sloan, Azubuike, Sessions, Heat
The deadline for players to be waived in order to be eligible for the playoffs with another team passed last night, and Chris Kaman, who would have been on the radar of just about every team needing a big man had he been bought out, is still with the Hornets. New Orleans "desperately" tried to trade him before last week's trade deadline, writes Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, but didn't get a worthy offer. He'll be a free agent at season's end, and wants to sign with a contender then, Kennedy said. Here's the rest of what's shaking around the NBA:
- Guard Donald Sloan, who signed last week with the Cavs, gave reporters a little insight on his contract, as the end of this video on Cavs.com shows. His deal extends into next year, but is guaranteed only until the end of this season.
- Newest Mav Kelenna Azubuike, who drew raves from owner Mark Cuban last night, will start off with the Texas Legends, the Mavs D-League affiliate, notes Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News.
- The Hawks expressed interest in trading for Ramon Sessions before the Cavs wound up dealing him to the Lakers, Kennedy tweets.
- Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel answered reader questions about the Heat. Despite this week's signing of Ronny Turiaf, much of the talk still revolves around the center position.
- Jason Fleming of HoopsWorld rounds up the players who could sign contracts worth as much as $10MM a year as free agents this summer.
- Syracuse sophomore guard Dion Waiters hasn't made up his mind about whether he'll enter the NBA Draft just yet, but he says the Spurs, Thunder and Jazz have called him in case he wants to give it a go, according to Adam Zagoria of SNY. He's projected to go in the middle of the first round, and could climb into the lottery, Zagoria writes.
Spurs Sign Justin Dentmon To Ten-Day Contract
The Spurs have announced that they signed guard Justin Dentmon from the D-League's Austin Toros to a 10-day contract. To make room for Dentmon, the Spurs released Eric Dawson two days before his ten-day deal was set to expire, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News.
Dentmon, 26, averaged 22.9 PPG and 5.3 RPG for the Toros while shooting 42% from long range. Dentmon should give the Spurs some depth in the backcourt as they wait for Patrick Mills' situation to be resolved.
Dawson, 27, played a total of 39 minutes for the Spurs in four games this season.
Spurs Expected To Sign Justin Dentmon
The Spurs plan to sign guard Justin Dentmon to a 10-day contract, Scott Schroeder of Ridiculous Upside reports. Dentmon had been playing with the Austin Toros, San Antonio's D-League affiliate, where he put up 22.9 points and 5.3 rebounds a night to go along with 42% three-point shooting.
The move gives the Spurs depth at point guard, as Tony Parker missed tonight's game with hamstring soreness and Patrick Mills is still finalizing his work visa. The Diaw signing put the Spurs roster at the maximum 15 players, so they'll have to drop someone before Dentmon can officially join the team. Eric Dawson's 10-day contract is up in a couple days, so the team may simply elect not to re-sign him. Cory Joseph was sent down to the Toros earlier this week, so he could be let go instead.
Southwest Rumors: Azubuike, Carlisle, Diaw
The defending Southwest Division champs met the defending NBA champs tonight, with the first-place Spurs coming away with a 104-87 win, padding their lead as they seek a second straight division title. Here's more on two of the Southwest's top teams:
- Mavs owner Mark Cuban thinks his team's signing of Kelenna Azubuike will be a steal if his knee holds up, according to Mavs.com writer Earl K. Sneed. Cuban isn't sure if Azubuike will help the team this year, but has his eyes on the future, calling the team option for the second year "pretty much a lock" to be exercised (All Twitter links).
- Mavs coach Rick Carlisle didn't respond to questions about his future when asked about his contract, which expires at the end of the year, on ESPN Dallas 103.3 FM’s Galloway and Company. While Mavs GM Donnie Nelson indicated that the team intends to retain the coach, Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas cites rumors linking Carlisle to the Blazers and suggests the Knicks and Clippers as possible destinations.
- The recent moves the Spurs have made aren't surprising to Carlisle, who's particularly intrigued by the acquisition of Patrick Mills and Boris Diaw, Tim Griffin of the Express-News writes.
- Diaw had to wait a week to sign with the Spurs because of visa issues, but he's been waiting much longer to fulfill his childhood dream of playing with fellow frenchman Tony Parker, according to Griffin. Diaw is Parker's best friend in the NBA, but the point guard didn't push the team to sign his buddy.
- ESPN's Marc Stein spoke with new Spur Stephen Jackson, who shared some revelations about his time with the Bucks and says he "never should have left" San Antonio after 2003.
Spurs Sign Boris Diaw
The Spurs have signed Boris Diaw, the team announced today. Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports first reported that Diaw and the Spurs had reached an agreement on a contract for the remainder of the season.
Diaw was bought out by the Bobcats on Wednesday, allowing him to sign with San Antonio in time to be eligible for the postseason. The Spurs will sign Diaw after he clears waivers, allowing them to pay him a pro-rated portion of the minimum salary while the Bobcats foot the rest of his bill. The 6'8" forward has a cap figure of $9MM this season.
In 37 games with Charlotte, Diaw averaged 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 4.3 assists in 27.5 minutes per game. The 29-year-old had some issues with his fitness and with coach Paul Silas, but remains relatively productive. He'll take San Antonio's last open roster spot.
Southwest Notes: Arenas, Camby, Smith, Mills
Here's the latest out of the Southwest, the only division in the NBA that would send four teams to the playoffs if the season ended today:
- Gilbert Arenas, recently signed by the Grizzlies, spoke to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal about a number of topics in a lengthy interview. Arenas says that in addition to the Grizzlies and Lakers, the Hawks and Nets also had interest in him.
- Another new addition, Marcus Camby, brings "a different vibe" to the Rockets, coach Kevin McHale told Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.
- The Rockets assigned Greg Smith to their D-League affiliate yesterday, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston.
- Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News noticed the Spurs listed a "Mills" as one of their inactive players on the official scoresheet for last night's game, and wonders if the team has finalized its rumored deal with Patrick Mills.
Spurs Pushing For Boris Diaw
The Spurs have emerged as the frontrunners to sign Boris Diaw once he passes through waivers, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Diaw was bought out by the Bobcats today and is expected to clear waivers on Friday.
San Antonio is also waiting on visa issues to finalize its deal with Patrick Mills, but the team has two open roster spots, so it wouldn't need to make a move to add both Mills and Diaw. Both players would be eligible for the postseason if they were to sign with the Spurs.
Tim Griffin of the San Antonio Express-News wrote earlier today that the Spurs would be interested in signing Diaw. Fellow Frenchman Tony Parker spoke prior to the trade deadline about his desire to have the forward join him in San Antonio. Diaw also has a fan in Steve Nash, but Phoenix will likely pass on the former Sun, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
Thunder, Heat Frontrunners For Derek Fisher
3:42pm: Fisher is in "advanced negotiations" to sign with the Thunder after he clears waivers, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Oklahoma City has the advantage over Miami because the Thunder have more financial flexibility and can offer Fisher a larger role, says Stein.
3:03pm: Sources close to Fisher expect him to sign with the Thunder if he clears waivers, according to Sam Amick of SI.com (Twitter link).
12:48pm: The Spurs are still expecting to sign Mills and don't plan to talk to Fisher, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
12:08pm: The Celtics and Bulls aren't interested in Fisher, according to Ken Berger of CBS Sports (via Twitter). Berger adds that Fisher is expected to discuss "ideas and concepts" with the Spurs, Heat, and Thunder.
8:05am: The Thunder and Heat have emerged as the favorites to sign Derek Fisher, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Fisher, who was bought out by the Rockets, is expected to clear waivers tomorrow.
The Spurs are also believed to have some interest in Fisher, but San Antonio is still hopeful about completing a deal with Patrick Mills. Stein adds that signing with Chicago is something that "strongly interests" Fisher, but the Bulls are focused on signing a big man, possibly Ronny Turiaf.
According to Stein, there are a couple factors that could work in the Thunder's favor in the race for Fisher: The veteran point guard now shares an agent with Kevin Durant, and Oklahoma City has a good chance to face Fisher's old team in the Western Conference playoffs. Unlike the Heat, however, the Thunder don't have an open roster spot, so they'd need to waive someone to clear room for Fisher.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com reports that the Rockets allowed Fisher's agent to speak to "about six teams" during buyout negotiations to gauge interest. Knowing there were contending teams interested in bringing him aboard, the 37-year-old felt comfortable giving up the final year of his contract (Twitter links).
Southwest Notes: Mavs, Joseph, Arenas, Grizzlies
Here's the latest from the Southwest Division, where the Mavericks' Monday night victory pulled them into a tie with the Grizzlies, four games behind the division-leading Spurs….
- Jason Terry isn't expecting the Mavericks to be in on any new free agents like Derek Fisher and J.J. Hickson this week, as he tells Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram: "We're not doing anything over here. That's been proven. We're not signing anybody."
- The Spurs have re-assigned Cory Joseph to the D-League's Austin Toros, tweets Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express News. Perhaps the move indicates the team is close to officially signing Patrick Mills.
- Zach Lowe of SI.com isn't sure whether Gilbert Arenas is the answer for the Grizzlies, but he says it's probably worth a low-cost flier to find out. Memphis made the signing official today.