Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Mavs Re-Sign Devin Harris

July 17th, 2014 at 6:35pm CST by Charlie Adams

JULY 17TH, 6:35pm: The deal is official, the Mavericks announced via a team release.

JULY 5TH, 8:50pm: Dwain Price of The Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link) is reporting that Harris’ deal is the same as the 3-year, $12MM that Patty Mills received from the Spurs.

2:16pm: A source tells Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (on Twitter) that the deal is actually four years in length and worth $16MM.

1:42pm: Harris’ deal will be worth roughly $9MM over three seasons, hears Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link).

1:15pm: The Mavericks and Devin Harris are finalizing a three-year deal, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Re-signing Harris became the team’s top priority after they traded Jose Calderon to the Knicks, Stein mentions.

Harris joined the Mavs on a one-year, minimum salary pact last season and performed well for Dallas coming off the bench. He averaged 7.9 points and 4.5 assists in 20.5 minutes per contest. Although those numbers are a far cry from the figures he was able to put up in his All-Star 2008/09 campaign, he proved himself as a still-capable contributor.

Stein doesn’t mention how much the contract will be worth, but it’s likely more than the minimum Harris agreed to last season. Of course, no deal can become official until July 10, when the league-wide moratorium on signings and trades expires.

Greivis Vasquez Re-Signs With Raptors

July 17th, 2014 at 11:32am CST by Cray Allred

JULY 17TH: Vasquez has officially signed his new deal, the team announced in a press release.

“Greivis’ passion for the Raptors and Toronto is wonderful,” GM Masai Ujiri said in the team’s statement. “He is a versatile player who provides us with energy and depth.”

JULY 9TH: Greivis Vasquez has agreed to a deal with the Raptors, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The point guard will sign the two-year, $13MM contract with Toronto once the league moratorium has passed. The deal includes no options, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today.

The move will end Vasquez’s restricted free agency following Toronto’s choice to extend a qualifying offer over a week ago. Vasquez was being sought after by the Bucks, but was reportedly close to re-signing with the Raptors before Milwaukee’s efforts could gain steam. Ryan Wolstat of The Toronto Suns speculates that the agreement could have been delayed by a failed attempt on the part of the 27-year-old’s agent, Arn Tellem, to gain a third year on the contract (on Twitter).

Vasquez will return to back up Kyle Lowry, whom Toronto reached a four-year agreement with already. An average salary of $6.5MM is high for a second string guard, but the length of the contract gives the team flexibility and a reliable insurance option should the oft-injured Lowry run into any health trouble. Vasquez excelled as a backup last season, posting a career-high per-36-minute scoring average while maintaining a solid 6.2 assists-per-36-minute rate.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Raptors Sign James Johnson

July 17th, 2014 at 11:30am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 17TH: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

JULY 10TH: 10:10am: The deal is fully guaranteed, according to Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link).

8:40am: The Raptors and James Johnson have reached agreement on a two-year deal, reports Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. The value of the contract will be $5MM, according to Smith, though Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun believes it might be for slightly more (Twitter link). The Raptors are using part of their mid-level exception on the Mark Bartelstein client, Wolstat adds in the same tweet.

Johnson revived his NBA career after signing with the Grizzlies in December, proving a useful reserve as he averaged 7.4 points in 18.4 minutes per game. The five-year NBA veteran previously spent parts of two seasons with the Raptors, though that was during the regime of former GM Bryan Colangelo. The 27-year-old spurns the Rockets, who were reportedly set to meet with him earlier this month, as well as the Jazz, who also had interest, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. The Grizzlies had apparently been split on whether to bring him back.

The move largely brings a close to Toronto’s major free agent expenditures, as Smith writes, after previous agreements with Kyle Lowry, Patrick Patterson and Greivis Vasquez. The Raptors wouldn’t mind trying to find a trade partner willing to take on Chuck Hayes or Landry Fields if they could net younger versions of those players in return, but the club probably won’t make any trades until the leaguewide free agency rush passes, Smith writes. The move also likely squeezes out Dwight Buycks, who’s on a non-guaranteed contract, and probably ends any chance that the Raptors would sign Andray Blatche or Ed Davis, according to Smith.

Wizards Acquire DeJuan Blair Via Sign-And-Trade

July 16th, 2014 at 9:23pm CST by Zachary Links

9:23pm: The deal has been completed, the Wizards announced. Washington will receive Blair from the Mavs in exchange for the rights to Emir Preldzic, a 2009 second-round pick.

5:55pm: Blair’s contract will be for three years and $6MM, with a team option on the final year, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.

WEDNESDAY, 12:51pm: The teams are on track to finalize the deal today, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It remains unclear what Dallas would receive in the transaction, but presumably it wouldn’t involve any guaranteed salary.

SUNDAY, 10:25pm: The Wizards and Mavs are in advanced discussions on a potential sign-and-trade that would send DeJuan Blair to Washington, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Wizards have strong interest in the big man and are in talks to see if a sign-and-trade is possible before the Mavs are forced to renounce him (link).

Blair, who was used inconsistently by the Spurs and hardly at all in the postseason, signed with the Mavericks last summer on a one-year deal. In 15.6 minutes per contest, Blair averaged 6.4 PPG and 4.7 RPG for Dallas last season. For his career, Blair has averaged 7.5 PPG and 5.6 RPG in 18.2 minutes per night.

Thunder Re-Sign Grant Jerrett

July 16th, 2014 at 8:22pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 8:22pm: The signing is official, per a team release.

“Grant had an excellent and productive season with the Tulsa 66ers,” Thunder GM Sam Presti said. “We are excited to see him move forward within our program.”

MONDAY, 5:01pm: Free agent Grant Jerrett has reached agreement on a multi-year deal to re-sign with the Thunder, reports Shams Charania of RealGm (Twitter link). Contract length and details haven’t been announced yet.

Jerrett was originally selected 40th overall by the Trail Blazers in the 2013 NBA Draft. His rights were then traded to the Thunder on draft night for cash considerations. He then spent the bulk of the 2013/14 season with the Tulsa 66ers of the NBA D-League where he appeared in 27 games and averaged 15.1 PPG and 6.1 RPG in 29.3 minutes per game. He was signed by the Thunder for the remainder of the season on April 7th, 2014. Jerrett did not make an appearance for the team.

Back on June 30th, the Thunder declined Jerrett‘s $816K option while also extending him a $1.16MM qualifying offer. In that same article, Hoops Rumors’ Chuck Myron predicted that Jerrett would re-sign with Oklahoma City on a multi-year deal for the amount of his qualifying offer that includes at least a partial guarantee in year two to entice him to take a multi-year deal rather than just signing the QO.

Hawks Acquire Thabo Sefolosha

July 16th, 2014 at 7:48pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 16TH, 7:48pm: Sefolosha’s deal has a declining salary structure, with $4,150,000 in 2014/15, $4,000,000 in 2015/16, and $3,850,000 in 2016/17, according to the Hawks updated salary sheet by Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com. That $4.15MM salary in year one is the value of the trade exception the Thunder create with this deal.

6:36pm: The Hawks announced that the deal is official, per team press release.

“Thabo is an unselfish, competitive and playoff-tested player, and does many things well on both sides of the ball,” Hawks president Danny Ferry said in a statement. “He also fills a need, giving us more size and depth at the wing position. He’s been a part of winning programs and will fit our culture well.”

4:40pm: The Thunder will receive the rights to draft-and-stash prospect Sofoklis Schortsanitis, while Atlanta gets Sefolosha, the rights to fellow draft-and-stash prospect Giorgos Printezis, and cash, according to Mayberry (Twitter link).

JULY 15TH, 4:32pm: The Hawks and Thunder are working on a sign-and-trade that would send Sefolosha to Atlanta but allow the Thunder to reap a trade exception, tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. It’s expected to be finalized today, Mayberry adds.

JULY 10TH, 10:12pm: In spite of the team press release, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution hears that Sefolosha’s signing has yet to take place (Twitter link). Such news is out of the ordinary, given the team’s announcement, and Vivlamore notes the agreement is still in place, so the deal is likely to happen sometime soon.

6:10pm: The deal is official, the Hawks announce via press release.

“Thabo is an unselfish, competitive and playoff-tested player, and does many things well on both sides of the ball,” Hawks President and GM Danny Ferry said. “He also fills a need, giving us more size and depth at the wing position. He’s been a part of winning programs and will fit our culture well.”

JULY 3RD: The Hawks and Thabo Sefolosha have reached agreement on a three-year, $12MM deal, reports Shams Charania of RealGM. There were serious doubts about the Thunder’s willingness to retain their starting shooting guard since their playoff elimination, and indeed the 30-year-old is headed elsewhere. It’s a fully guaranteed three-year deal with no option clauses involved, Charania adds.

The Clippers, Mavs and Rockets scheduled meetings with the Guy Zucker client, who also visited Washington, according to earlier reports, and Toronto, as Charania writes. The Heat apparently made an inquiry, but there was no report of contact from either the Thunder or the Hawks. Atlanta nonetheless was on the lookout for a wing player with size and wasn’t pleased with the way it played when either Kyle Korver or DeMarre Carroll were unavailable last season, USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets. It appears as though the Hawks have brought Sefolosha in to address those issues.

Atlanta will likely use cap space to finalize the deal, having opened up additional flexibility with this week’s John Salmons trade. It’s doubtful they’ll stop there, however. The Hawks had reportedly thought about making a run at Carmelo Anthony, and while that seems like a remote possibility, they can still open enough cap room for an eye-catching free agent acquisition, even with Sefolosha in tow.

Rockets To Re-Sign Troy Daniels

July 16th, 2014 at 7:44pm CST by Eddie Scarito

WEDNESDAY, 7:44pm: Daniels’ contract is for the minimum, totaling $1,763,758 over the two years, per the updated Rockets salary sheet by Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com.

TUESDAY, 6:46pm: It’s for a total of $2MM over two years, writes Jenny Dial Creech of the Houston Chronicle.

MONDAY, 5:41pm: The Rockets have reached an agreement to re-sign restricted free agent guard Troy Daniels, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The contract is for two years and is fully guaranteed, reports Charania. Financial terms of the were not disclosed. Daniels had also received interest from the Mavericks, Spurs, Grizzlies, and Pelicans.

Houston had turned down their team option on Daniels, and instead extended him a qualifying offer. Daniels was originally scheduled to make the one-year veteran’s minimum of $816,482 on the option next season.

The Rockets had signed Daniels shortly after the trade deadline, cutting Ronnie Brewer to make room. He only appeared in five regular season games, but lit up the D-League, putting up 21.9 PPG and shooting 40.1% from behind the arc. Daniels then emerged as a key rotation player in the playoffs, averaging 7.8 PPG and nailing an impressive 53.3% of his three-pointers in the final four games of Houston’s first-round loss to the Blazers.

Carmelo Anthony To Re-Sign With Knicks

July 16th, 2014 at 2:22pm CST by Cray Allred

2:22pm: Marc Stein of ESPN.com has the figures for all five seasons (on Twitter): It’s the maximum $22,458,401 in year one, followed by a discounted raise to $22,875,000 for year two, and maximum raises that bring Anthony’s salaries to $24,559,380, $26,243,760 and $27,928,140 in the final three years. That brings the total value to $124,064,681, exactly $5,071,124 less than the maximum for which he could have signed.

8:42am: Anthony will receive his maximum salary in the first year of his deal, according to Marc Berman of the New York Post. That precise max is $22,458,401, and it allows for a raise worth $1,684,380 each season. However, Anthony’s raise for the second season of the deal is $400K, Berman reports, adding that the contract will also include a 15% trade kicker should Anthony decide to waive his no-trade clause.

7:19pm: The deal also includes a no-trade clause, according to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 7:00pm: Anthony’s contract will be for $124MM over five years, sources tell Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who adds that Anthony will have an early termination option after the fourth season. The deal – which starts at $22.5MM in the first year – includes a “slight increase” in the second year followed by “larger increases” thereafter (Twitter links).

MONDAY, 10:05am: Anthony took a discount, Jackson confirms, and while the deal is for an estimated $122-123MM, the total value remains unclear, as Marc Berman of the New York Post details.

SUNDAY, 11:54am: Phil Jackson also confirms the pending agreement via the Knicks official Twitter account (Twitter links). Jackson said, “After 3 months of questions around Carmelo Anthony’s return to the NY Knicks we are now happy to know that we have the cornerstone of what we envision as a team of excellence. Steve Mills and I have assured Carmelo through our conversations, that we share the vision and the determination to build this team.”

SUNDAY, 11:28am: Anthony has confirmed he will be returning to New York via his website. In his announcement, ‘Melo said, “This organization has supported me and in return, I want to stay and build here with this city and my team.” Contract details have not been announced yet.

1:10pm: The deal is for five years and more than $120MM, but the final amount is undetermined, and Anthony may still accept less than the max, sources tell Wojnarowski.

SATURDAY, 12:05pm: Carmelo Anthony will inform the Knicks of his decision to re-sign in New York within the coming hours, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Frank Isola of The New York Daily News first reported Anthony’s intention to return to New York earlier this week, but the former scoring champ appeared to fluctuate over the last few days in deciding between the Knicks, Lakers and Bulls. ‘Melo will sign a five-year contract. The deal will presumably be for a maximum salary of $129MM, although Knicks president Phil Jackson has suggested that there were multiple salary structures on the table for Anthony.

Anthony, ranked second in the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, was encouraged by the momentum Jackson had garnered the franchise, which included hiring Derek Fisher as head coach and acquiring Jose Calderon via trade. The Bulls offered ‘Melo the best opportunity to contend in the upcoming season, but were unable to offer nearly as much annual salary or as many years as New York, who exercised their Bird Rights to extend the winning bid to retain the All-Star.

The client CAA client will remain in New York for the duration of his prime, after coming to his home state in a 2011 trade from Denver. Since joining the Knicks, ‘Melo has put up some of his most effective seasons as an individual, but seen mixed results as the centerpiece for a blockbuster team. The Knicks have won a single playoff series since obtaining Anthony.

A series of poor decisions had turned the Knicks from hopeful contenders to a laughing stock to many last season, in which they finished 37-45. The hefty contracts for Anthony, Amar’e Stoudemire, Tyson Chandler, and Andrea Bargnani left the team with no cap flexibility, and a history of parting with draft selections and prospects had them headed toward the 2014 draft with no picks. However, Jackson was able to swing a series of moves that sent Chandler to Dallas and earned New York multiple second round picks.

‘Melo will hope Jackson, who has managed some of the game’s greats to many titles as a coach, can work some of the same magic as an executive. Jackson will work with Fisher to implement his triangle offense around Anthony’s strengths. Anthony’s belief in the future of New York will likely play a large part in determining his legacy, and whether he ever finds prolonged success in the playoffs. Anthony has standout averages of 25.3 PPG and 6.5 RPG for his career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Thunder Sign Anthony Morrow

July 16th, 2014 at 2:04pm CST by Cray Allred

WEDNESDAY, 2:04pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

“Anthony Morrow has demonstrated that he is amongst the most consistent and efficient three point shooters in the NBA over his career, and we are pleased to welcome him to Oklahoma City and the Thunder organization,” Thunder GM Sam Presti said. “With his body of work, we feel Anthony is a unique addition to a diverse roster, while also possessing the toughness and selflessness that we are consistently seeking in Thunder players.”

SATURDAY, 1:08pm: The deal is for three years in slight excess of $10MM, tweets Shams Charania of RealGM. The final year is a team option, per David Aldridge of NBA.com (via Twitter).

12:33pm: Anthony Morrow has agreed to join the Thunder, tweets Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. The shooting specialist had received interest from the Clippers, Heat, Wizards, Raptors, Suns, Wizards, Pistons, and Pelicans in addition to Oklahoma City and other unnamed teams.

Morrow opted out of the final, $1.1MM year of his contract with New Orleans this summer. The terms of the deal are still unknown, but I would guess the contract to be significantly more lucrative considering the amount of interest the 28-year-old was drawing. The shooting guard could be in play to start for the Thunder, who let starting shooting guard Thabo Sefolosha walk following a disappointing 2013/14 campaign. Morrow has only started 129 games over the course of his six-year career.

Suns To Waive Ish Smith

July 15th, 2014 at 10:52pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:52pm: The Suns have officially waived Smith, the team announced on their official website.

4:50pm: The Suns are waiving Ish Smith this evening to avoid his non-guaranteed contract becoming fully guaranteed for $992,435, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link). Today’s the last day the team can make that maneuver without shelling out for Smith this year, as our schedule of contract guarantee dates shows.

Smith played a prominent role for the Suns this past season, averaging 3.7 points, 2.6 assists and 14.4 minutes per game. It appears to be a numbers crunch at part to blame for his departure, even given Phoenix’s commitment to lineups featuring two point guards. The Suns added point guards Isaiah Thomas via sign-and-trade and Tyler Ennis through the draft to supplement Eric Bledsoe, whom they intend to retain through restricted free agency, and Goran Dragic.