Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Grizzlies Re-Sign Beno Udrih

July 15th, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 15TH: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

JULY 10TH: 3:31pm: The sides have reached agreement, tweets Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal. The second year is partially guaranteed, Tillery adds.

3:07pm: Point guard Beno Udrih has given his commitment to stay in Memphis, and a deal is set to be complete today, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. It’ll be a two-year contract for the biannual exception, Stein adds (Twitter link). The full value of the biannual is $2.077MM for 2014/15 and a total of $4,247,465 over two years.

The 32-year-old Marc Cornstein client will end up with a raise from the minimum-salary contract he signed last summer with the Knicks. New York waived him along with Metta World Peace shortly after the trade deadline, but Memphis claimed him off waivers, a move that paid dividends when the NBA suspended backup point guard Nick Calathes for the playoffs. Udrih, who played only 55 regular season minutes for the Grizzlies, stepped into the rotation for the postseason and averaged 7.9 points and 1.7 assists in 16.4 minutes per game.

The move seems to cast doubt on the future of Calathes, who’s on a non-guaranteed deal that becomes fully guaranteed if Memphis doesn’t waive him by the end of this coming Tuesday. Calathes has a pair of lucrative overseas offers waiting for him if the Grizzlies cut him loose. Still, Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger has signaled that the team intends to keep Calathes.

Pelicans Sign Russ Smith

July 15th, 2014 at 12:29pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 15TH: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

JULY 9TH: The Pelicans have agreed to sign former Louisville point guard Russ Smith, the 47th overall pick in this year’s draft, to a guaranteed contract, as Louisville coach Rick Pitino told reporters, including Jeff Greer of The Courier-Journal (Twitter link). The length of the contract and the amount of guaranteed money aren’t immediately clear. The Pelicans acquired the rights to Smith in a draft-night trade that sent the rights to last year’s second-rounder Pierre Jackson to Philadelphia.

Smith was a consensus All-American this past season as a senior for the Cardinals, averaging 18.2 points and 4.6 assists in 29.3 minutes per game. He also shot 38.7% from behind the three-point line. That percentage along with his assists average were significant increases from 2012/13, when he helped lead Louisville to the national championship.

The 6’1″ 23-year-old appears to be the first 2014 second-round pick who’s agreed to a deal, as our list of 2014 Draft Pick signings shows.

Thunder Sign Sebastian Telfair

July 15th, 2014 at 10:20am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 15TH: The Thunder have officially signed Telfair, the team announced in a press release.

“His competitiveness and work ethic have complimented his on-court leadership skills throughout his career, and we are excited to be able to integrate these qualities into our team,” GM Sam Presti said as part of the team’s statement.

JULY 3RD: The Thunder and Sebastian Telfair have reached agreement on a one-year, minimum salary deal, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The nine-year NBA veteran is returning to the league after spending last season playing in China.

The Grizzlies, Nets and Spurs had also expressed interest in the ASM Sports client. Memphis in particular seemed keen on the 29-year-old, as coach Dave Joerger acknowledged a few weeks ago that the team was eyeing Telfair.

The former 13th overall pick last played in the NBA for the Raptors in 2012/13, averaging 4.3 points and 3.0 assists in just 14.2 minutes per game across 13 appearances after coming via midseason trade with the Suns. He’s never averaged double figures in points and has only topped five assists per game in one NBA season, but while he hasn’t exactly lived up to the pedigree of a lottery pick, he’s proven a capable backup. That’s apparently the role for which the Thunder envision him, with Reggie Jackson having asked to start, as Haynes notes, and Derek Fisher off to coach the Knicks.

The contract won’t put much of a dent in the Thunder’s flexibility beneath the projected $77MM tax line, and that’s especially true since it’s a one-year arrangement. It’ll only cost roughly $915K to OKC even though he’ll make nearly $1.317MM. The league pays the difference, as I explained earlier.

Spurs Re-Sign Boris Diaw

July 15th, 2014 at 10:07am CST by Zachary Links

JULY 15TH: The deal is official, the Spurs announced via press release.

JULY 6TH: Spurs forward Boris Diaw announced on Twitter that he’ll be re-signing with the Spurs. It’s a three-year, $22.5MM deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

The 32-year-old was a key part of the Spurs’ championship team and his return was considered a vital part of management’s plan to compete for a sixth franchise title next season. The third year of Diaw’s deal is partially guaranteed, according to sources. Diaw is guaranteed $15.5MM over the first two years of the deal.

Spurs GM R.C. Buford and Diaw’s agent Doug Neustadt completed the deal earlier today. With Diaw’s return set, the Spurs will continue their pursuit of free agent Pau Gasol with an offer of their midlevel exception, league sources tell Wojnarowski.

The deal includes protections for the Spurs’ salary-cap space should the organization change direction in the next few years and move toward a rebuild. In his 11 NBA seasons with Atlanta, Phoenix, Charlotte and San Antonio, Diaw has averaged 9.1 points, 4.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.

Pistons Waive Josh Harrellson, Peyton Siva

July 15th, 2014 at 8:34am CST by Chuck Myron

The Pistons have waived Josh Harrellson and Peyton Siva, according to a trio of reports. There’s been no official statement from the team, but Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders, Mark Deeks of ShamSports and Vincent Goodwill of The Detroit News are all reporting that the team has released both of them (All Twitter links). Shams Charania of RealGM reported late Monday that the Pistons intended to waive Siva (Twitter link).

Both were on non-guaranteed minimum-salary contracts that were to become fully guaranteed if the Pistons didn’t waive them on or before July 20th. Siva’s guarantee date was listed as July 12, but multiple sources recently cited the date as July 20th, as I noted Monday. The team’s five contract agreements so far in free agency gave the team 16 players, so the releases of Siva and Harrellson help alleviate that numbers crunch, bringing the total down to 14. Detroit would be back up at 15 if it brought back restricted free agent Greg Monroe.

The Pistons also renounced their rights to Rodney Stuckey, Chauncey Billups and Charlie Villanueva, meaning they can’t exceed the salary cap to re-sign any of those players. That likely means none of them will be back with the team, Stuckey in particular.

Siva saw action in just 24 NBA games last season, averaging 9.3 minutes per contest, after the Pistons drafted him 56th overall in 2013. Harrellson, a three-year veteran, saw slightly more time, getting in 32 games and averaging 9.9 MPG.

Heat Sign Danny Granger

July 14th, 2014 at 6:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 14th: The deal is now official, the team has announced. Of the signing, Heat president Pat Riley said, “One of our main priorities this offseason was obtaining a proven veteran like Danny with All-Star experience. We expect him to be a multi-position player and have a very successful season in our system.”

JULY 7th: The Heat and Danny Granger have struck a two-year, $4.2MM deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It’ll be for the bi-annual exception and it’ll include a player option in year two.

It’s the second agreement Miami has reached today after securing a deal with Josh McRoberts for the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception. Granger, the long-time Pacers star, comes to Miami after finishing last season with the Clippers, largely failing to regain his scoring prowess after missing almost all of 2012/13 with injury.

In 41 combined games for the Pacers and Clippers last season, Granger averaged 8.2 PPG and 3.6 RPG in 20.7 minutes per contest. His total PER amounted to 10.9 and that was boosted by a small uptick in his dozen games with the Clippers.

The Wizards, Suns, and Clippers have been among the teams that have reached out to Granger since the start of free agency. Obviously, the former All-Star has lost a step or three in recent years but the Heat will be delighted if the 31-year-old can at least gain some of that form back. Excluding these last two forgettable seasons, Granger averaged 18.2 PPG and 5.2 RPG.

Wojnarowski reports that Granger was willing to take less than market value for the chance to join up with LeBron James in Miami which would imply that he was offered more elsewhere.

Bulls Trade Greg Smith To Mavs

July 14th, 2014 at 6:18pm CST by Cray Allred

MONDAY, 6:18pm: The Mavericks have announced that the trade is official. Dallas acquires Smith from the Bulls in exchange for the rights to Tadija Dragicevic.

9:24pm: Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com confirms the trade is happening, and is told that the Mavs will give up virtually nothing in the deal (Twitter link).

SATURDAY, 10:40pm: The Bulls are expected to trade Greg Smith to the Mavs by Monday, a league source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). K.C. Johnson of The Chicago Tribune confirms that a trade is in the works, but stops short of calling it a done deal (on Twitter). Chicago is looking to clear Smith’s salary, at just under $950K, to aid in their ongoing efforts in free agency.

Smith was signed by the Bulls after the Rockets waived the center during the season. The 23-year-old was injured at the time, arriving amid a slew of late-season pickups that gave the Bulls cap flexibility for this year while helping them reach the roster minimum. Details of compensation from Dallas are unknown, but they would likely be modest for a recovering player on a minimum contract.

Smith played in 70 games for Houston in the 2012/13 season, but that was sandwiched between a total of 19 appearances in his other two seasons in the NBA. If healthy, he could fill a need for Dallas, who were reportedly interested in re-signing fellow big man DeJuan Blair at the minimum salary.

Bulls Trade Anthony Randolph To Magic

July 14th, 2014 at 5:30pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:30pm: The deal is now official, the Magic has announced. The Magic receive second rounders in 2015 and 2016, cash considerations, and Randolph, while the Bulls receive the draft rights to Rakovic.

4:29pm: The Magic would send the draft rights to Milovan Rakovic to Chicago and Orlando would also receive cash as part of the deal, reports Josh Robbins of The Orlando Sentinel (Twitter links).

3:38pm: The Bulls will trade Anthony Randolph and a pair of second-round picks to the Magic, who are expected to waive Randolph once they receive him, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (Twitter link). Chicago has been shopping Randolph, whom the team acquired in a draft-night trade from the Nuggets, in an effort to clear cap room. His salary, worth more than $1.825MM for the upcoming season, is fully guaranteed, so it appears it will remain on the books for the Magic, who’ll use their cap space to absorb Randolph, with the second-rounders as enticement for them to do so. It’s not immediately clear what Orlando will give up, but it’s unlikely to involve any guaranteed salary.

Chicago has to open up cap space one way or another to accommodate its agreements with Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic, as I explained this morning. Sending out Randolph will move the Bulls only incrementally toward that goal, one that’s unlikely to be reached unless Carlos Boozer leaves either by amnesty or salary-clearing trade. Still, it’s a maneuver that could allow the Bulls to use their Early Bird rights to re-sign Kirk Hinrich and preserve their room exception. Chicago also has an agreement in place to send Greg Smith and his guaranteed salary to the Mavs.

In 43 games with the Nuggets last season, Randolph averaged 4.8 PPG, 2.8 RPG, and 0.7 APG while playing 12.3 minutes per contest. His career averages are 7.1 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 0.7 APG in six seasons.

Heat Sign Josh McRoberts

July 14th, 2014 at 5:05pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 14th, 5:05pm: The Heat have made the announcement that the deal is now official. Of the signing, Pat Riley said (Twitter links), “We felt from day one that he was one of our main targets. We are delighted that this multi-faceted player will help us immensely in being the kind of team that Coach Spoelstra wants with his versatility.”

2:58pm: The deal that McRoberts received from the Heat was slightly better than the Hornets’ best offer, as Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer hears (Twitter link). The Heat released a statement today acknowledging their agreement with the power forward.

JULY 7th, 2:03pm: Josh McRoberts has verbally committed to sign with the Heat, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Miami appeared to be in a two-way battle with the Hornets earlier today. It’s a four-year deal worth the full value of the non-taxpayer’s mid-level exception, with a player option for the final season, Stein adds (on Twitter). That would make it worth $22,652,350, as I explained.

The use of the mid-level will make the Heat hard-capped for the 2014/15, meaning they can’t go more than $4MM above the tax level at any point. That hard cap is projected to be about $81MM.

Charlotte apparently made the same offer to retain the slick-passing power forward, but the Heat have seemingly won out. An increasing number of executives reportedly believed that the client of agent Mike Conley Sr. would indeed end up with a deal for the mid-level.

It’s the first agreement so far this month for the Heat and team president Pat Riley, who’ve been courting LeBron James, Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade in the hopes that the star trio will return. McRoberts isn’t the sort of significant free agent addition that Marcin Gortat, Kyle Lowry and Luol Deng, all of whom the Heat have reportedly had on their radar, would have been, but he is coming off a career year. He averaged 8.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in 30.3 minutes per game for the then-Bobcats, but he also notched one of the league’s best assist-to-turnover ratios, averaging 4.3 and 1.1 in those categories, respectively. The Blazers, Mavs, Cavs, Clippers, Knicks, Spurs, Suns and Lakers were all among his reported suitors.

Pistons Sign Jodie Meeks

July 14th, 2014 at 3:40pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 14TH: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

“Jodie’s approach to the game fits the style of basketball we want to play and his ability to shoot the ball from the outside is a skill that will help our team moving forward,” GM Jeff Bower said in the team’s statement.

JULY 1ST: 4:32pm: No options are involved as a part of the deal, tweets Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com.

3:53pm: The Pistons and Jodie Meeks have agreed on a three-year deal for more than $19MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The two-guard leaves the Lakers to fill a need in Detroit, which was woeful from behind the three-point arc last season, and he’ll receive a tidy raise for doing so after making just $1.55MM this past season in L.A.

It appears that Pistons coach/executive Stan Van Gundy will use cap space on the maneuver, and the deal doesn’t bode well for the future of free agent guard Rodney Stuckey in Detroit. Meeks made a career-high 40.1% of his three-pointers this past season, though he’s only a 37.6% three-point shooter for his career. Still, that’s much better than Stuckey, who shot just 27.3% from behind the arc last season and carries a 28.6% mark in that category.

Meeks expressed desire to remain with the Lakers, and they were reportedly one of a number of teams making contact with him last night. The Pistons likely outbid others for the Andrew Vye client, who became the first free agent to agree to a deal in the 2014/15 season.