Warriors Sign Leandro Barbosa
4:24pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
SEPTEMBER 10TH, 2:43pm: Barbosa has put pen to paper, according to USA Today’s Sam Amick (Twitter link), though there has yet to be an official announcement from the team.
AUGUST 28TH: The Warriors and Leandro Barbosa have reached agreement on a one-year deal for the minimum salary, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. It’s not immediately clear whether the salary for the 11-year veteran will be guaranteed.
Golden State had been on the lookout for backup guards, Stein notes, and the 6’3″ Barbosa fits that bill. The 31-year-old and the Heat held a mutual interest, though it didn’t seem as though Miami was going too hard after the client of Excel Sports Management. Barbosa reportedly had talks with a few teams, but he seemed prepared to wait until after the FIBA World Cup to find a deal, until the Warriors swooped in.
It’s a contrast from last year, when Barbosa went without an NBA deal until January, starting the season with a Brazilian team in an effort to prove his health after suffering a torn ACL in February 2013. Barbosa is once more coming off an injury that ended his season early, having broken his left hand in March while playing for the Suns. Still, the concern surrounding that injury isn’t as profound, as the Golden State deal demonstrates.
The Warriors had been carrying 13 guaranteed deals plus a non-guaranteed pact for undrafted rookie Aaron Craft. Barbosa gives the team yet another option at point guard behind starter Stephen Curry, joining Craft, Shaun Livingston and the injured Nemanja Nedovic.
Warriors, Jerry West Agree To Extension
The Warriors have agreed to an extension with Jerry West that will keep the Hall-of-Famer on the team’s executive board through the 2016/17 season, reports Tim Kawakami of the Bay Area News Group. West’s existing deal had been due to run out at the end of this coming season, and the 76-year-old recently told people close to him that he was thinking of retirement, even as he made it clear he was passionate about lifting the team to title contention, Kawakami hears.
West, who holds the title of director of scouting and administration for the club, has played a key role in Golden State’s decision-making since joining the Warriors in May of 2011, and he owns a partial stake in the franchise. He was vociferous in his opposition to trading Klay Thompson for Kevin Love this summer and helped influence the team’s decision not to do so, but West didn’t make the call to dismiss former coach Mark Jackson despite their poor relationship, Kawakami writes.
The Warriors recently signed GM Bob Myers to an extension that takes his contract through 2017/18. West’s commitment seals co-owner Joe Lacob’s desire to have his front office staff intact for years to come, as Kawakami points out. West is a two-time Executive of the Year award-winner, having taken home the honor in 1995 with the Lakers and in 2004 with the Grizzlies.
Chauncey Billups Retires
Chauncey Billups confirmed that he won’t be returning to the hardwood next season, telling Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he’s retiring after 17 seasons in the NBA. The Pistons turned down a team option earlier this summer that would have paid the 37 year old $2.5MM to return to Detroit. He worked out for the Cavs in August, and although he was reportedly interested in teaming up with LeBron James in Cleveland, the veteran point guard has decided to hang up his jersey and move on from playing in the NBA.
While Billups acknowledged that he still had “a couple opportunities to play” if he had opted not to retire, the 2004 Finals MVP said he couldn’t ignore his deteriorating health that has limited him to appearing in only 49 games over the past three seasons. “It’s just time. I know when it’s time,” Billups said. “My mind and my desire is still strong. I just can’t ignore the fact that I haven’t been healthy for three years. I can try again and get to a point where I think I can go, but I just can’t sustain. Me not being able to play the way that I can play, that’s when you kind of know it’s that time.”
Billups expressed interest in taking a front office role at some point, but he told Spears nothing is imminent for the time being. The Timberwolves were reportedly likely to target Billups earlier this summer for an assistant coaching role, but the former Pistons stud indicated he’d be more interested in taking a television position or a job in a front office.
Over his career, Billups averaged 15.2 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per night in 1043 games. He shot 41.5% from the floor and an impressive 38.7% from beyond the arc. The former third overall pick took home the NBA championship with the Pistons in 2004 and appeared in five All-Star games. According to Basketball-Reference.com, Billups earned $107,227,720 during his time in the NBA, having spent time with seven different clubs.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Knicks Sign Langston Galloway, Travis Wear
The Knicks have signed combo guard Langston Galloway and power forward Travis Wear, the team announced (on Twitter). The pair are presumably on minimum-salary contracts for camp, either without guarantees or with only small partial guarantees attached to their deals.
Galloway and Wear played on New York’s summer league team in July after going undrafted the previous month. Galloway averaged 17.7 points and 4.3 rebounds with impressive 44.3% three-point accuracy in 36.2 minutes per game this past season with St. Joseph’s. Wear’s numbers for UCLA weren’t as flashy, as he put up 7.2 PPG and 3.2 RPG in 23.9 MPG. As with brother David Wear, who signed a camp deal with the Kings, Travis Wear’s playing time decreased with each successive season he spent as a Bruin.
New York is carrying 13 fully guaranteed deals, plus a partially guaranteed pact for Samuel Dalembert, who figures to compete for the starting job at center. The team’s contract with 34th overall pick Cleanthony Early is almost certainly fully guaranteed, which would force the team to have to unload someone’s guaranteed salary if Galloway, Wear or both make the club in their longshot bids. It seems more likely the team will use the camp invitations as a tool to secure the D-League rights to Galloway and Wear for their new affiliate in Westchester.
Hornets Sign Dallas Lauderdale For Camp
SEPTEMBER 22ND: The deal is official, the team announced.
SEPTEMBER 9TH: Big man Dallas Lauderdale will attend training camp with the Hornets, reports Chris Haynes of the Plain Dealer (Twitter link). The terms of the arrangement for the former Ohio State Buckeye aren’t immediately clear, but it’s likely for the minimum salary, perhaps with a nominal guarantee included.
The 6’8″ 25-year-old is heading to camp with an NBA club for the second straight year, having done so with the Blazers last autumn. Portland retained his D-League rights for this past season, and he did his most impressive work on the boards, averaging 8.7 a game to go with 7.5 points in 29.3 minutes per contest in the D-League.
Charlotte has been carrying 14 players on 14 guaranteed deals, as our roster counts show, but while Lauderdale doesn’t appear to have much camp competition as it stands, the Hornets will almost certainly bring in a few more camp invitees. NBA teams don’t have to carry any more than 13 players in the regular season, so it’s possible that Lauderdale or anyone else the team signs this month will have to be particularly impressive to make it to opening night.
Shawn Marion Signs With Cavs
SEPTEMBER 9TH: The signing is finally official, the team announced.
“Shawn brings great versatility, talent and championship experience to the team,” Cavs GM David Griffin said in the club’s statement. “He will impact both ends of the floor and his ability to guard multiple positions will be particularly important for us. Shawn is an accomplished, high-caliber veteran that will help with leadership on and off the court and we’re very happy to welcome him to the Cavaliers family.”
AUGUST 17TH: Shawn Marion has decided to join the Cavaliers, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Cleveland can only offer Marion the veteran’s minimum salary, but the opportunity to play with LeBron James and to contend for an NBA Championship was the deciding factor, notes Stein. The Clippers, Pacers, and the Heat had also pursued the 15-year veteran.
Indiana could have offered Marion a larger role and more playing time, with Paul George most likely being lost for the season. The Pacers could have also offered a larger salary as well, with the league already approving the disabled player exception the franchise had applied for. But with James’ arrival, and Kevin Love set to be added as soon as Andrew Wiggins can be traded on August 23rd, the Cavs became too appealing an option for Marion.
Marion’s career averages are 15.8 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 1.9 APG, and 1.6 SPG. His career slash line is .485/.332/.811. Last season with the Mavericks, he averaged 10.4 PPG and 6.5 RPG, while appearing in 76 contests.
Gustavo Ayon To Play In Spain
TUESDAY, 10:43am: The contract will cover three seasons, Pick hears (Twitter link).
MONDAY, 3:09pm: It’s a multiyear deal, a source tells David Pick of Eurobasket.com. There will be several outs in the contract, Pick hears, though it’s unclear whether any of them pertain to the NBA (Twitter links).
10:02am: Free agent center Gustavo Ayon has agreed to play for Real Madrid in Spain, reports Igor Minteguia of Solobasket.com (translation via HoopsHype). It’s not immediately clear just how lucrative the deal is or just what sort of escape clauses the contract will contain to allow him to return to the NBA sometime soon.
The Spurs had reportedly been interested in him, among other potential free agent targets, but overseas options had reportedly been proving more lucrative than any stateside offers for the Emilio Duran client. Ayon spent the past three seasons in the NBA after signing a three-year, $4.5MM deal with New Orleans shortly after the lockout. He averaged 5.9 points and 4.9 rebounds in 20.2 minutes per game as a rookie but didn’t match those numbers in either of his next two seasons. It appeared he had an opportunity to head to China before Real Madrid gave him the chance to return to Spain, where he played before entering the NBA.
Former Raptors point guard Dwight Buycks, who signed with Valencia, also jumped to Spain this summer after having played in the NBA this past season. The 29-year-old Ayon will join fellow NBA veterans Andres Nocioni, Rudy Fernandez, Sergio Rodriguez among the notable names on Madrid’s roster for the coming season.
Warriors Sign Justin Holiday
The Warriors have added Las Vegas standout Justin Holiday to their training camp roster, the team announced. He’ll join 17 others, including 16 who are known to have at least a partial guarantee on their deals, as our roster counts show.
The Warriors D-League affiliate, the Santa Cruz Warriors, traded Scott Machado to the Blazers’ affiliate in exchange for the rights to Holiday back in February. Golden State then got a closer look at Holiday in summer league action where he averaged 14.8 PPG and 5.0 RPG across five games. That performance was enough to make the team want to see even more of the Tony Dutt client this offseason.
Holiday’s lone NBA experience came on a 10-day deal with the 76ers back in 2012/13 where he averaged 4.7 PPG, 1.7 APG, 1.6 RPG, and 15.8 minutes per contest across nine games. After spending time in the D-League, the Adriatic League, and playing for multiple summer league teams in recent years, Holiday will now look to carve out an NBA home for 2014/15.
Greg Monroe Signs Pistons Qualifying Offer
MONDAY, 2:09pm: The Pistons followed up with a formal announcement today, via press release.
“I have said from day one that we have great respect for Greg as a person and like what he brings to this team as a player,” Van Gundy said in the team’s statement. “We have had good dialogue with Greg throughout the offseason with the understanding that there were multiple options for both parties involved, and we respect his decision. We look forward to a great year from Greg as we continue to build our team moving forward.”
FRIDAY, 8:29pm: Monroe actually signed the qualifying offer on Wednesday, but the news simply hadn’t broken before today, tweets Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders.
5:25pm: Greg Monroe has signed the one-year qualifying offer Detroit extended in June, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The big man will play for close to $5.48MM in 2014/15, and become an unrestricted agent next summer. The decision is historic, as Monroe will become the biggest name to have signed a qualifying offer, one of just 18 players ever to do so.
Wojnarowski tweets that the Pistons and Monroe were unable to reach an agreement on a new long-term deal, although it’s unclear if there were any renewed negotiations since Monroe initially signaled his plans of signing the offer. Monroe denied a report that the Pistons had offered a deal worth five years and $60MM, one that was reportedly upped to a more lucrative offer by Detroit in early August. Regardless of what deal was on the table for the fifth-year big, the one-year pact will pay him well below the annual salary he would have fetched from Detroit or any other team on a long-term deal. While the contract is still a raise from what he earned on the final year of his rookie contract, he is taking it with eyes toward a much more lucrative deal next offseason. Monroe immediately becomes one of the more attractive free agents in the 2015 class.
At some point, Monroe apparently soured on the team that drafted him No. 7 in the 2010 draft. Monroe “wanted out” of Detroit, according to Wojnarowski, who adds that the Pistons were unwilling to pay him as a top NBA forward. Rather than pursuing offer sheets from other teams that the Pistons could match, he was seeking sign-and-trade agreements that would land him in a new city. However, Monroe was never dead set against remaining a Piston, and saw new coach and president Stan Van Gundy as a positive presence. Monroe’s wariness of a long-term future in Detroit may have stemmed from the team’s decision to sign Josh Smith to play alongside Monroe and Andre Drummond before the 2013/14 season. The ultra-big experiment was a disaster on the court, and Monroe was reportedly cool to Van Gundy’s optimism that the three bigs could coexist within a winning system.
When our own Chuck Myron ranked Monroe No. 5 in the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings for the year, the possibility that Monroe wouldn’t sign a long-term contract this summer seemed faint. In fact, Chuck found it likely that Monroe would agree to a max deal in his Free Agent Stock Watch piece for the 24-year-old, a much more predictable outcome for such a young and productive interior player.
The qualifying offer, which a team must extend in order to preserve the right to match other offers for a restricted free agent, is typically a placeholder until the player signs an offer sheet elsewhere or comes to a separate agreement with his incumbent team. It is rare for a player to re-sign with a team after playing out the single year on an accepted qualifying offer. Spencer Hawes did so when he inked a two-year deal with the Sixers in 2012 after taking their qualifying offer the year before, but he’s the only one, and Monroe doesn’t appear poised to follow in his footsteps. As Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News points out (on Twitter), Monroe can only be traded to a team of his choosing this season, a factor that would limit any attempt of Detroit’s to deal him away for value before losing him for nothing in unrestricted free agency next summer. The Thunder, Pelicans, Hawks, Cavs, Blazers, and Magic have all been connected to Monroe, but like Eric Bledsoe‘s situation in Phoenix, Detroit’s willingness to match offer sheets iced his prospects with clubs around the league. Wojnarowski writes that Detroit sought multiple sign-and-trade options for Monroe, most notably serious discussions with Portland.
The David Falk client has career averages of 14.0 PPG and 9.0 RPG, and has been the starting center or power forward for Detroit in 277 of 312 games in his four years with the team. The signing will leave the Pistons with approximately $13.3MM in cap space for the season, though it gives them 16 fully guaranteed deals, as our roster counts show.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images.
Kings Waive Jeremy Tyler
The Kings have waived Jeremy Tyler, the team announced. The move was expected, as Sacramento has planned to waive the big man since acquiring him in a trade with the Knicks earlier this month.
Tyler’s $948K contract was scheduled to become partially guaranteed at $100K if the Kings had not waived him by September 15. The move will help Sacramento’s efforts to creep beneath the luxury tax line. The Kings have yet to execute an in-place agreement to deal away Jason Terry to Houston for non-guaranteed contracts. As soon as that transpires, the Kings stand to have approximately $74-75MM in salary slated for 2014/15, including both guaranteed and non-guaranteed arrangements. The team will have to either add guaranteed money or retain some of its non-guaranteed training camp invites, since only 11 of the minimum 13 roster spots are fully guaranteed, not including Terry’s deal.
The Full Court Sports client has split time between the NBA and D-League the last three seasons, seeing action for the Warriors, Hawks, and Knicks. The 6’10” center has averaged 3.6 PPG and 2.7 RPG for his career, with a .451/.000/.557 slash line.