Eastern Notes: Anthony, Bucks, Meeks
The Lakers interest in Carmelo Anthony could possibly help the Bulls acquire the free agent forward, writes K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Johnson opines that the presence of a third serious contender could make the Knicks more amenable to a sign-and-trade deal for Anthony if they are unable to re-sign him.
More from around the league:
- The Bucks are looking to sign a point guard this summer, writes Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Their primary targets will be the Suns Eric Bledsoe and the Raptors Greivis Vasquez, both players are restricted free agents, so their teams will have the opportunity to match any offer.
- The Nets are attempting to sign Bojan Bogdanovic of Fenerbahce, and the proposed deal is for a length of three years, reports David Pick of Eurobasket (Twitter links).
- The three-year, $19.5MM deal the Pistons agreed to with Jodie Meeks has been criticized for being an overpay, but Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press thinks it could turn out to be a good deal for the team.
And-Ones: Deng, Novak, Rockets, Bazemore
Erik Spoelstra joined Pat Riley to meet with Luol Deng in Chicago today, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The Heat are said to have interest in Deng, but they might not be willing to take on the reported $12MM annual price tag for the forward. Here’s more from around the NBA:
- Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has indicated that second round pick DeAndre Daniels will be stashed in Europe for a year to get some much-needed playing time, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- The Thunder are bringing aboard Darko Rajakovic as an assistant coach, the team announced via press release. Rajakovic has spent the past two seasons as the head coach of the Tulsa 66ers, OKC’s D-League affiliate.
- Steve Novak will bring some much needed shooting to the Jazz, writes Kurt Kragthorpe of the Salt Lake Tribune. Novak is a career 43.9% shooter from 3-point range over eight seasons, almost exactly the same figure as Kyle Korver. The money owed to him over the next two years (about $7.5MM) was enough to make the Raptors want to dump his salary, but it wasn’t prohibitive for Utah.
- Russian powerhouse CSKA Moscow extended a two-year, €3MM offer to free agent guard Nando De Colo, tweets David Pick of Eurobasket.com. That figure translates into roughly $4.08MM.
- Put the Rockets on the growing list of teams interested in Kent Bazemore, says Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (on Twitter).
- Ike Diogu has signed with Dongguan in China on a deal that allows him to jump ship to the NBA anytime between now and August 15th, tweets Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
- A rumored agreement between Andres Nocioni and Real Madrid is not a done deal, according to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (on Twitter). The forward is still receiving interest from NBA teams (link).
Charlie Adams contributed to this post.
Bucks Pursuing Eric Bledsoe, Greivis Vasquez
In addition to considering a possible trade for Jeremy Lin, the Bucks are pursuing restricted free agents Eric Bledsoe and Greivis Vasquez, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Milwaukee is in the process of pitching an offer sheet to Bledsoe, says Stein, but the Suns will be able to match whatever the Bucks present to the 24-year-old if they truly intend on retaining him as they’ve stated.
We heard yesterday afternoon that Vasquez and the Raptors were close to a deal that would bring the point guard back to Toronto, so Milwaukee’s pursuit might be in vain. However a lucrative enough offer from the Bucks might derail talks between Vasquez and the Raptors, since nothing official has reportedly been agreed upon.
The Bucks made a deal for Brandon Knight last summer and also roster Nate Wolters, but bringing aboard a talented young guard certainly couldn’t stand to hurt Milwaukee, the NBA’s worst team in 2013/14. Still, such a scenario seems unlikely given that each restricted free agent’s respective club seems intent on matching any offer sheets set to be presented.
Eastern Notes: Pistons, Raptors, Rose
Andre Drummond said he’ll do whatever’s necessary to convince restricted free agent Greg Monroe to remain with the Pistons and feels confident Monroe will return given his affection for Detroit, as Drummond told MLive’s David Mayo. Drummond expressed doubt that the team would trade Josh Smith, in spite of rumors.
Here’s more from the east:
- The dispute over just how large a role Derrick Rose played in Chicago’s pitch to Carmelo Anthony seems to indicate a disconnect somewhere, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. Nick Friedell of ESPNChicago.com believes it signals a deeper misunderstanding between the Bulls and Rose’s camp (Twitter links).
- Bruno Caboclo and Lucas Nogueira appear likely to join the Raptors this year, but GM Masai Ujiri has indicated that the team probably won’t ink second-round pick DeAndre Daniels for this coming season, writes Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
- The Raptors are enamored with P.J. Tucker, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun, who wonders if the team will throw an offer sheet his way now they know Steve Novak‘s contract is coming off the books (Twitter links).
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Raptors Likely To Ink Caboclo, Nogueira This Year
The Raptors acquired a pair of Brazilian-born prospects last week, pulling a stunner with their selection of power forward Bruno Caboclo at No. 20 overall in the draft and trading for the rights to center Lucas Nogueira, last year’s 16th overall pick. While they seem like strong candidates to be stashed overseas, both are instead expected to join the team for next season, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun.
Mystery surrounds Caboclo, who wasn’t among the top 100 prospects in Jonathan Givony’s DraftExpress rankings going into the draft. Still, the 6’8″ 18-year-old apparently drew the attention of multiple NBA teams. The Jazz and Suns were reportedly ready to draft him before the Raptors could snag him with the 37th overall pick, as they’d told Caboclo they would do. So, Toronto made its preemptive strike.
Nogueira spent an injury-plagued 2013/14 with Asefa Estudiantes of Spain, averaging 6.2 points and 4.1 rebounds in 16.5 minutes per game in just 18 appearances. The 21-year-old 7-footer nonetheless came away with 1.6 blocks per game in those limited minutes, so he appears to be an intriguing rim protector.
Caboclo is likely to receive a starting salary worth more than $1.458MM on his rookie scale contract, as our table of salaries for first-round picks shows. Nogueira would make the scale amount for this year’s 16th overall pick, even though he was drafted last year, so he’s in line for nearly $1.763MM.
Raptors Nearing Deal With Greivis Vasquez
The Raptors are coming close to a deal with restricted free agent Greivis Vasquez, reports Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. An agreement with the point guard would allow the Raptors to retain the top three free agents from last season’s roster, having already come to terms with Kyle Lowry and Patrick Patterson.
Vasquez said in May that it would be “heartbreaking” if he didn’t wind up returning to the team. Toronto’s brass nonetheless worried it wouldn’t be able to swing deals for both him and Patterson after the leaguewide market began bearing high-priced contract agreements earlier this week. Still, there haven’t been reports linking Vasquez to any other NBA club since the start of free agency.
The Arn Tellem client had his breakout season in 2012/13, averaging 13.9 points and 9.0 assists per contest as the starter in New Orleans, but he was a backup for both Sacramento and Toronto this season amid a pair of trades. He notched just 9.5 PPG and 3.7 APG in 21.5 minutes per game behind Lowry on the Raptors this past season, but it appears he’s about to commit to remaining a reserve for the foreseeable future.
Eastern Rumors: Wade, Bosh, ‘Melo, Gasol
Happy Fourth of July to our American readers! It remains to be seen if there will be any free agency fireworks today, but with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh hesitant to take discounts, prompting a disconnect between them and LeBron James, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, the fuse has been lit. Here’s more from the Eastern Conference as the market waits to see what James and Carmelo Anthony will do:
- The Bulls remain confident that they’re still in the running to end up as Anthony’s choice, but they sense they’ve lost momentum with the Knicks prepared to offer the max, according to Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Pau Gasol learned when he met with the Bulls on Thursday that he would be a starter if he signed with the team, as Cowley, writing in the same piece, also hears.
- The Raptors have had preliminary talks with Patrick Patterson as they concentrate on securing depth behind Amir Johnson, reports Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. They’re willing to wait before shopping for a physical, defensive-minded wing this summer, Smith adds. Concerns about Johnson’s ability to stay healthy also likely played a role in the team’s decision to fully guarantee Tyler Hansbrough‘s contract, Smith believes.
- The Hornets have expressed interest in signing Ramon Sessions, a source tells Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). A report late Thursday indicated the opposite, so perhaps Charlotte reached out within the last several hours.
And-Ones: Gasol, Knicks, Lakers, Marion
There won’t be a decision from Pau Gasol anytime soon as to where he will be signing, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com. This is despite the pleas and pitches he has received from Carmelo Anthony and numerous teams, notes Aldridge.
More from around the league:
- Gasol will meet with Heat president Pat Riley and coach Eric Spoelstra in Los Angeles, a source tells ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne.
- The Lakers have interest in re-signing Xavier Henry, tweets Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. Medina also notes that signing Anthony is the team’s top priority.
- Caron Butler is drawing strong interest from multiple teams but is likely to choose between Heat, Lakers or Spurs, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link).
- The Hornets have not approached point guard Ramon Sessions about a possible return to Charlotte, reports Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer (Twitter link).
- The Heat, Bulls, Mavericks, and Rockets have all expressed interest in signing Shawn Marion, writes Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
- MacMahon also writes that the Mavericks best chance of landing restricted free agent Chandler Parsons is if Anthony signs with the Rockets.
- Now that the Raptors have re-signed Kyle Lowry, they will turn their focus to retaining the services of Greivis Vasquez and Patrick Patterson, writes Eric Koreen of The National Post.
- The Knicks have inquired about Pelicans free agent center Jason Smith, reports Marc Berman of The New York Post.
- According to Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Twitter link), the Celtics, Clippers, Mavericks, Timberwolves and Heat have reached out to free agent Kris Humphries.
Raptors Re-Sign Kyle Lowry
JULY 10TH: Lowry has officially re-signed, the team announced via press release.
“We made it known that our top priority heading into the offseason was to re-sign Kyle,” GM Masai Ujiri said in the team’s statement. “He was a key to our success last season and we are delighted that he wants to be here in Toronto to help us continue to build a championship program.”
JULY 2ND: Kyle Lowry has agreed to a four-year, $48MM deal to stay with the Raptors, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Lowry has been heavily courted by the Heat, Rockets, and others, but it appears that he’ll be staying put with the club that helped resurrect his career. The deal includes a player option for the fourth year (link).
It was expected that the Raptors would pitch Lowry on a deal with an average annual value of $12MM a year but the club was reportedly considering making it a five-year offer to help keep him away from other suitors. For one reason or another, a fifth year wasn’t necessary and the Raptors got to keep their standout guard on a deal that is probably much more comfortable for them. This is strictly speculative on my part, but the opt out clause after year three could have been the compromise that kept Lowry satisfied with four years rather than five.
The Andy Miller client had significant interest from an impressive group of teams including the Heat, Rockets, Lakers, and Mavericks but he’s slated to stay north of the border for at least the next three seasons. It’s easy to see why. After averaging 10.6 PPG and 5.0 APG for the first seven years of his career, Lowry blossomed into a star last year for Toronto, putting up 17.9 PPG and 7.4 APG. The 28-year-old led Toronto to the Atlantic Division crown and although they were bounced by the sixth-seeded Nets in the first round, the Raptors organization reinvigorated Toronto’s basketball fans.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Heat Telling Free Agents They Can Spend $12MM+
WEDNESDAY, 2:50pm: Bosh is seeking a deal worth $16-18MM, a source tells Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 4:00pm: Agent Henry Thomas, who reps both Wade and Bosh, told TNT’s David Aldridge that the salary figures reported for his client are inaccurate (Twitter link).
3:28pm: Ken Berger of CBSSports.com and Ethan Skolnick of Bleacher Report put the brakes on the idea of such deep discounts, having heard that Bosh and Wade aren’t expected to accept figures quite so low (Twitter link).
2:44pm: The Heat are telling free agents that they have more than $12MM to spend, indicating that Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or both are willing to take major discounts, tweets Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. The Oregonian’s John Canzano hears Bosh is set to sign a five-year deal worth $11MM in the first year, while Wade will get a four-year deal starting at $12MM. Grantland’s Zach Lowe hears those figures are $12MM for Bosh and $10MM for Wade (Twitter links).
Those numbers, together with the maximum deal that LeBron James is insisting upon, would appear to give the Heat even more flexibility, since LeBron’s max is projected to be around $22MM. That would leave the Heat with $44-45MM or so in commitments, not counting roster charges and the cap hold for first-round pick Shabazz Napier. The salary cap is projected to come in at $62.3MM, so it seems Heat president Pat Riley is leaving room for a player or two at above the minimum salary in addition to a $12MM acquisition. That might come in the form of a signing at the value of the $2.732MM room exception.
The Heat are trying to arrange a meeting with Kyle Lowry today, according to Windhorst, who also suggests the team could go after Marcin Gortat (Twitter link). The Heat reportedly see Luol Deng and Lowry as their top free agent targets from outside the team, and while Deng is unwilling to take a discount to sign in Miami, $12MM appears to be close to market value.