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Tim Duncan To Opt In For Next Season

June 23rd, 2014 at 5:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

5:43pm: It’s official: Duncan has submitted the paperwork to the league to notify everyone that he will be opting in, tweets Jeff McDonald of the Express News.

3:05pm: Tim Duncan has decided to opt in for 2014/15 with the Spurs, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The news appears to signal that Duncan will return this fall for his 18th NBA season, as had seemed likely in spite of his refusal to say definitively that he would not retire. The 38-year-old’s decision also dismisses the notion that he would opt out and sign a discounted contract. Duncan will make more than $10.361MM for the Spurs next season, the final year of his deal.

The contract originally called for Duncan to make $10MM, but that was the result of the league’s oversight of a rule that prohibited him from making less in the option year than he took in this past season. The NBA therefore adjusted his 2014/15 salary to match the money he made this year.

There was never any realistic chance that the Jim Tanner client would leave the Spurs this summer, with the only question surrounding his continued willingness to play. It appears as though he and San Antonio will embark on a quest for a repeat championship, a goal they’ve failed to achieve four times during Duncan’s certain Hall-of-Fame career.

The Spurs have slightly more than $44MM in salary for next season with Duncan in tow, but they’ll assuredly keep Tony Parker and pick up the $9MM non-guaranteed portion of Tony Parker’s deal. That would give San Antonio about $53MM in commitments, not including their first-round pick, putting the team roughly $10MM under the $63.2MM salary cap for next season.

Carmelo Anthony Opts Out, Will Hit Free Agency

June 23rd, 2014 at 10:33am CST by Zachary Links

MONDAY, 10:33am: Agent Leon Rose confirms that Anthony has opted out, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reports via Twitter.

“Carmelo loves being a Knick, he loves the City and the fans,” Rose said. “At this stage of his career he just wants to explore his options.”

SUNDAY, 1:01pm: Knicks star Carmelo Anthony will file paperwork tomorrow to notify the Knicks that he will be opting out of his contract, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. Chris Herring of the Wall Street Journal (on Twitter) hears that Anthony actually submitted his formal early termination option letter on Friday stating his intentions to hit the open market.

It has long been expected that Anthony would exercise his ETO in order to explore free agency beginning on July 1st. Tomorrow marks the official opt-out deadline for Anthony, one of the league’s very best scorers, and it appears he will forgo a guaranteed $23.5MM from the Knicks to see what else is out there.

The Knicks, of course, can offer Anthony more money than anyone with a five-year, $125MM+ contract. However, Anthony is said to be intrigued by the opportunity to win right away with a team like the Bulls or Rockets. Phil Jackson may have a plan to turn the Knicks into contenders over the next few years, but it seems highly unlikely that they can vault themselves into the title mix in 2014/15.

It was reported last week that the Bulls are the frontrunners for the former Syracuse star, though it’s not clear if that means Chicago is ahead of New York in the running or if they’re just the top option outside of the Knicks. Anthony forced the Nuggets to trade him to the Knicks just three-and-a-half years ago and this summer there has been rampant speculation that Anthony is ready to take his talents to a third team.

Signing with the Bulls, Rockets, Mavs, or any other club would mean a maximum contract of $90MM over five seasons for Anthony. However, it has been rumored that Anthony is open to sacrificing dollars, and maybe even taking less than the max, to help his club add more talent. Both the Bulls and Rockets will have to do some shuffling before they can sign Melo to such a deal, however.

Darrell Arthur Opts In To Stay With Nuggets

June 23rd, 2014 at 10:04am CST by Chuck Myron

Darrell Arthur has opted in to remain with the Nuggets, the team announced. He’ll make $3,457,149 next season, the final year on his contract. The Jerry Hicks client was strongly leaning toward picking up the option as of March. Arthur’s decision plus Nate Robinson‘s opt-in adds about $5.564MM to Denver’s commitments for 2014/15, though both were expected to remain on their contracts.

The Nuggets will have about $64.6MM in guaranteed salary for next season with Arthur and Robinson in tow, not counting the salary for the team’s No. 11 pick. Denver will almost assuredly enter July over the salary cap, projected to come in at $63.2MM. The team’s involvement in recent Kevin Love talks indicates that GM Tim Connelly is pursuing major changes via trade, with the prospect of a free agent signing for more than the mid-level likely off the table.

Arthur didn’t have much impact for the Nuggets after coming over via trade a year ago. He averaged 5.9 points and 3.1 rebounds in 17.1 minutes per game this past season. He’s never averaged double-figures in points or rebounds and 20.1 MPG is his career high, so it’s likely the 26-year-old wouldn’t have been able to find a salary equal to the value of his option on the open market. He’ll instead attempt to build his stock in advance of free agency next summer.

Nate Robinson Opts In For 2014/15

June 23rd, 2014 at 10:03am CST by Chuck Myron

JUNE 23RD: Robinson has officially opted in to remain with the Nuggets, the team announced.

JUNE 22ND: No surprise here: Robinson’s agent Aaron Goodwin tells Sam Amick of USA Today (on Twitter) that his client will exercise his $2.1MM player option for next season with the Nuggets.

MARCH 6TH: Injured Nuggets guard Nate Robinson will exercise his player option to return to the team next season, according to Chris Dempsey of The Denver Post. The move is not at all surprising, since the left ACL tear he suffered in January knocked him out for the rest of this season. Robinson tells Dempsey he’ll be ready for training camp in the fall.

The Aaron Goodwin client will make $2,106,720 next season, and that salary will push Denver’s guaranteed commitments for 2014/15 to nearly $61.156MM. Darrell Arthur has given early indications that he’ll exercise his player option, too, and the more than $3.457MM coming to him would almost assuredly push the Nuggets over the salary cap for next season.

Robinson averaged 10.4 points in 19.7 minutes per game over 44 contests in his debut season with the Nuggets. The ninth-year veteran shot 37.7% from three-point range, slightly better than his career average of 36.4%.

And-Ones: Austin, Melo, Celtics, Cavs

June 22nd, 2014 at 10:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Isaiah Austin‘s decision to jump to the NBA was questioned by scouts but strangely enough, it’s the NBA’s medical tests that may have saved his life, tweets Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated. Earlier today we learned that the Baylor center won’t be able to play in the NBA after being diagnosed with Marfan syndrome. Here’s more from around the league..

Howard Beck of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) expects Carmelo Anthony to take a pay cut regardless of where he lands, even if it’s a return to the Knicks. To Beck, it’s not a matter of if, but how much Melo is willing to lop off.
Beck (Twitter links) doesn’t see a sign-and-trade as being all that likely for the Knicks if Melo leaves. The Knicks would be interested in expiring deals and draft picks, but it’s hard to see them taking on any salary commitments beyond 2014/15 that would handcuff their flexibility.
Celtics assistant Ron Adams is heading west to join the Warriors‘ staff, writes Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe.
The Cavs‘ hire of David Blatt as head coach might seem like a bit of a gamble, but Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio is all for it. Vinny Del Negro wouldn’t have been a bad hire for Cleveland, but Blatt represents a bold, out-of-the-box choice for the club.
The Pacers will work out Mike Moser, Roscoe Smith, Eric Moreland, Tyler Stone, David Stockton, and Nick Kellogg on Monday, tweets Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops.

Bargnani Informs Knicks He’s Opting In

June 22nd, 2014 at 12:21pm CST by Eddie Scarito

In a move that shouldn’t come as a surprise, Andrea Bargnani has informed the Knicks that he intends to exercise his player option and opt in for next season, Marc Stein of ESPN.com has reported. This news was also confirmed by Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). Bargnani had until Wednesday to make this official.

Bargnani joins Amar’e Stoudemire in exercising his option to remain with the team. Bargnani is set to make $11.5MM next season, after pulling in a salary of $11,862,500 during the 2013/14 campaign. During his first season in New York, Bargnani only appeared in 42 games, averaging 13.3 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 29.9 minutes per game.

The Knicks appeared to play better with Bargnani out of the lineup, evidenced by their record of 15-27 when he was healthy, versus going 22-18 after he suffered a season-ending elbow injury. The team also scored 6.8 points more per 100 possessions when Bargnani was on the bench compared to when he was on the court. On defense, they gave up one fewer point per 100 possessions when Bargnani was playing compared to when he was on the bench. Overall, the Knicks were 7.9 points better per 100 possessions without Bargnani on the floor.

Andray Blatche Opts Out

June 21st, 2014 at 11:25am CST by Chuck Myron

SATURDAY, JUNE 21ST, 11:25am: Blatche has officially opted out, his agency ASM Sports announced via Twitter (H/T Tim Bontemps of The New York Post).

THURSDAY, MAY 15TH, 12:58pm: Andray Blatche says he’ll turn down his player option for next season but adds that he’d nonetheless like to re-sign with the Nets, tweets Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Blatche’s option is worth slightly less than $1.438MM, but much like last summer, the Andy Miller client can probably fetch more on the market.

Blatche originally signed a one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Nets in 2012 when his stock had cratered following Washington’s decision to amnesty him that summer. He re-signed with Brooklyn last year to a deal at the full value of the Non-Bird exception, but this year, Brooklyn can give him much more via Early Bird rights. That will allow the Nets to give him a four-year deal with a starting salary of up to 104.5% of the estimated $5.565MM league average salary for 2013/14. I’m not sure he’d command quite so much, but Brooklyn won’t be nearly as limited with Blatche as it was last year.

The 27-year-old averaged 11.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in 22.2 minutes per game this season as a backup big man for the Nets, compiling an 18.8 PER that’s quite high for a non-starter. There’s a decent chance a rival suitor will lob an inflated offer and the promise of more playing time his way, but the Nets have shown no fear of getting involved in a bidding war, in spite of this season’s massive tax bill. Blatche’s decision to opt out doesn’t give Brooklyn any cap room or significantly alter the team’s chances of dropping out of the tax. So, Nets GM Billy King will probably do what he can to bring him back, though that’s just my speculation.

Cavs Hire David Blatt As Coach

June 21st, 2014 at 9:48am CST by Chuck Myron

The Cavs have named David Blatt head coach, the team announced. The 55-year-old Massachusetts native makes an unprecented jump from Israel’s Maccabi Tel Aviv straight into an NBA head coaching position despite a lack of NBA experience as a player, coach or executive.

Cleveland and the Mike Tannenbaum client were deep into discussions on a deal Thursday night and had resumed talks Friday morning following reports that the Cavs had offered him the job. It’s a four-year contract worth $3.33MM in base salary each season, with incentive clauses that would bump the annual salaries as high as $5MM. The fourth year is a team option.

Blatt beats out Clippers assistant Tyronn Lue, who briefly was the lone competition in a two-man race Thursday. Fellow Clippers assistant Alvin Gentry, whom like Lue received a second interview with the team, instead accepted a position Thursday night as an assistant for the Warriors. Blatt was on Cleveland’s radar from the start of its search, but he emerged as a strong candidate late in the process, and his announcement last week that he was leaving Maccabi Tel Aviv to pursue an NBA job appeared to accelerate the process. He said at that time that he’d spoken with GM David Griffin by phone, and this week he had a formal interview with the club.

Blatt has drawn raves for his work overseas, and as the head man for the Russian national team, he worked with Sergey Karasev, whom the Cavs picked 19th in last year’s draft. Still, multiple reports indicate that the hiring all but removes Cleveland from the race to land LeBron James this summer. Still, the Cavs aren’t concerned with adding either a coach or players to bend to the four-time MVP’s wishes, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio.

The Warriors were pushing Blatt to become an assistant coach for them, and people close to him were apparently advising him to pursue the Golden State job rather than become the first European coach to take an NBA head coaching position. The Timberwolves and Hawks were also reportedly eyeing him for assistant coaching positions, and in Minnesota’s case, he appeared to be Flip Saunders‘ top choice to become a coach-in-waiting of sorts who’d eventually take over as head coach for Saunders.

The Cavs reportedly also interviewed Mark Price, Alvin Gentry, Adrian Griffin, Tyronn Lue, Vinny Del Negro and Lionel Hollins for their head coaching job. Nate McMillan and Mark Jackson also drew mention as candidates. The Cavs also appeared to make a strong run at hiring marquee college coaches John Calipari, Kevin Ollie, Billy Donovan and Tom Izzo.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images. Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Plain Dealer first reported that the sides had reached an agreement, along with additional detail. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported that it was a four year deal, later following with the annual numbers (Twitter links). Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com noted that the final year is a team option (on Twitter) and Sam Amick of USA Today confirmed the full value of the contract, including incentives (Twitter link). Sam Amico noted that the Cavs aren’t trying to impress LeBron James with the hiring or with the addition of any certain players this summer.

Glen Davis, Danny Granger To Hit Free Agency

June 20th, 2014 at 1:36pm CST by Chuck Myron

Glen Davis and Danny Granger are set to opt out of their contracts with the Clippers and become free agents next month, reports Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (Twitter links). Granger has interest in returning, Turner tweets, though it’s not immediately clear if Davis feels the same way. Davis and Granger signed minimum-salary pacts in the middle of the season shortly after they secured their releases from the Magic and Sixers, respectively.

Both helped deepen coach Doc Rivers‘ bench late in the season, but neither played an outsized role. Davis averaged 12.2 minutes per game in the playoffs and Granger just 10.3. It was a particular comedown for Granger, just two seasons removed from having been the leading scorer for the Pacers. Indiana shipped him to Philadelphia at the trade deadline as he failed to return to form after missing all but five games with injury in 2012/13. Davis started in 43 of his 45 appearances for the Magic this year, but rebuilding Orlando agreed to let the 28-year-old out of his deal, which was to have cost the Magic $6.4MM this year and $6.6MM next season. It’s unclear how much Davis and Granger had to give back to get out of their respective contracts at midseason.

The opt-outs do little to help the Clippers’ books, as they have enough in guaranteed salary to put them over the cap to begin next month. Davis, a client of John Hamilton, and Granger, a client of Aaron Mintz, will probably be able to find deals for more than the minimum on the market. The Clippers would likely have to dip into their mid-level exception to keep one or both of them, since they only have Non-Bird rights on the pair.

Josh McRoberts Opts Out, Will Hit Free Agency

June 18th, 2014 at 1:27pm CST by Chuck Myron

1:27pm: Cho said in a press conference today that the team hopes to re-sign McRoberts, according to the Hornets official Twitter account.

12:40pm: Josh McRoberts has turned down his player option and will become a free agent on July 1st, a source tells Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). McRoberts was slated to make more than $2.771MM next season, but his cap hold will represent $5,038,800 on Charlotte’s books unless the Hornets either renounce his rights or strike a new deal during the July moratorium.

The move from McRoberts was widely expected after a career year for the veteran of seven seasons. He notched 8.5 points, 4.8 rebounds and 4.3 assists against just 1.1 turnovers per game as the starting power forward for the then-Bobcats, who made the playoffs for just the second time in franchise history.

The Hornets have about $41MM in commitments for next season, not counting their pair of first-round picks, as Cray Allred of Hoops Rumors detailed this morning. Determining the future of McRoberts will be one of GM Rich Cho‘s first orders of business next month, if for no other reason than to reduce his bloated cap hold. The 27-year-old has expressed interest in a return and coach Steve Clifford has publicly lobbied for the team to retain him.