Bulls Waive Amundson, Brewer, James
The Bulls have waived Lou Amundson, Ronnie Brewer and Mike James, the team announced via press release. The move wipes their non-guaranteed salaries from Chicago’s books. All three were on minimum-salary deals to which Chicago signed them at the end of last season in the hopes they could end up helping the Bulls aggregate salaries in a trade. Instead, Chicago opens up the cap space necessary to complete their deals with Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic.
The trio will hit free agency unless another team picks them up off waivers. The trio combined to play a total of three minutes for the Bulls after the team signed them, but each isn’t too far removed from a more prominent role. James finished the 2012/13 season as the starting point guard for Dallas, Brewer started 34 games for the Knicks that year, and Amundson, though long a reserve, was well-regarded enough to merit deals with three teams that season.
Bulls Amnesty Carlos Boozer
4:15pm: The Bulls have officially announced the move, via press release.
3:49pm: The Bulls have used the amnesty provision to waive Carlos Boozer, reports Sam Smith of Bulls.com (Twitter link). His $16.8MM salary will no longer count toward the salary cap for Chicago, which has needed room to accommodate its deals for Pau Gasol and Nikola Mirotic, as I explained earlier this week. Boozer will nonetheless continue to receive paychecks from the Bulls, though Chicago’s financial obligation will be reduced if a team puts in a partial bid for Boozer as allowed in the amnesty waiver process.
Chicago had preferred to work out a trade for the 32-year-old power forward. Even though his name came up in conjunction with the Knicks if Carmelo Anthony were to decide to play for Chicago, ‘Melo remains in New York and no serious trade market for Boozer appeared to develop. Bulls GM Gar Forman and company were also working against a deadline, since Wednesday is the final day of the amnesty period.
The Rob Pelinka client remains a productive player, if not a star, and he would attract plenty of interest on the free agent market were he to clear waivers. That’s not a given, since teams with cap room figure to register bids. He’d go to the highest bidder if multiple teams do so, and if multiple bidders submit equivalent amounts in the blind bidding process, he’ll go to the team among them that posted the worst record last season.
Mavs Re-Sign Dirk Nowitzki
JULY 15TH: The deal is official, the team announced via press release, and it’s for less than previously reported so that Dallas could accommodate its deal for Chandler Parsons, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s a three-year, $25MM contract, Stein tweets. Nowitzki turned down max offers from the Rockets and the Lakers to remain with the Mavs, Stein reports (on Twitter).
JULY 3RD: 3:52pm: The deal includes a player option after the second season and a no-trade clause, Stein writes in his full story.
3:33pm: The Mavericks and Dirk Nowitzki have come to terms on a three-year deal, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). No free agent has seemed more certain to re-sign with his team than Nowitzki, with only the length of the contract and the financial terms in any doubt. The value of the deal is believed to be around $30MM, Stein adds via Twitter.
Nowitzki and the team had agreed to hold off on finalizing a deal until after the club’s Wednesday meeting with Carmelo Anthony so as to retain maximum cap flexibility, but with ‘Melo’s visit through, the team has locked up its own star. It’s not clear whether the deal is an indication that the team is more or less likely to sign ‘Melo than it had been before the meeting, but the terms of Nowitzki’s agreement fall in line with what Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com suggested he would likely end up with.
The money is a steep decline from Nowitzki’s salary of more than $22.7MM this past season, and he could have signed a deal worth as much as nearly $23.9MM for next season alone. The 36-year-old’s age is the chief reason he’ll wind up with less, but his loyalty to the Mavs also comes into play. Dallas has been attempting to find another star to go alongside Nowitzki in recent years, and that will be easier now that Nowitzki won’t be making nearly as much.
Nowitzki made the All-Star game this past season, and his performance this year justified the selection, as the 7-footer averaged 21.7 points and 6.2 rebounds with 39.8% three-point shooting and a 23.6 PER. He spoke in May of wanting the club to respect his continued ability when it put together his deal, even as he acknowledged there was no realistic chance he’d sign elsewhere. To that end, it appears he’ll continue to make an eight-figure salary, or close to it, as he nears age 40.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Heat Re-Sign Dwyane Wade
3:39pm: The deal is official, the Heat announced via press release.
“Dwyane has been the franchise cornerstone for this team since the day he arrived 11 years ago,” team president Pat Riley said in the club’s statement. “He has shown his commitment to the Heat many times over the course of his career and has always been willing to sacrifice in order to help build this team into a champion. This time is no different. I am ecstatic to have him back in the fold and I am confident that Dwyane, as always, will be leading this team as we look to contend for NBA Championships.”
1:54pm: It’s a two-year deal with player option in the final season, sources tell Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press, who expects Wade’s salary for this season to come in between $16-17MM (Twitter link).
1:08pm: Dwyane Wade is indeed set to re-sign with the Heat, reports Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (on Twitter), confiming Wade’s Instagram post suggesting that a deal is done. There was little doubt that Miami and the Henry Thomas client would strike an agreement, and the Heat made a strong push to retain its longtime star in the hours after LeBron James returned to Cleveland.
Wade opted out of the final two years and $41.819MM remaining on his deal last month in an apparent effort to squeeze more talent on the roster and convince James to re-sign, but it’s unclear just how much Wade will receive on his new contract. Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com estimated that he’d receive a salary of $15MM for the coming season.
Wade, 32, appeared in only 54 games during the regular season this year as knee injuries took a larger toll. He was still an all-around force when on the court, averaging 19.0 points, 4.7 assists and 4.5 rebounds and compiling a 22.0 PER. He was seventh in the latest edition of the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings.
The Bulls reportedly gauged Wade’s interest in a deal that would allow him to play in his native Chicago, but he rebuffed them. Miami has become in many ways a second home for the perennial All-Star who’s played only for the Heat during his 11-year NBA career.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pistons Sign D.J. Augustin
TUESDAY, 3:18pm: The Pistons formally announced the deal today, making it official.
SUNDAY, 7:52pm: The Pistons have agreed to sign D.J. Augustin to a two-year, $6MM deal, a source tells David Aldridge of NBA.com (on Twitter).
The Hornets and the Mavericks were also showing interest in the guard but Detroit has come away with his services. Augustin spent last season with the Raptors and Bulls, averaging a combined 13.1 PPG and 4.4 APG in 27.3 minutes per contest. For his career, Augustin owns averages of 10.1 PPG and 4.0 APG with a 14.3 PER.
Rockets, Pelicans, Wizards Swap Ariza, Asik, Ely
2:19pm: The deal is official, the Pelicans have announced. New Orleans is folding Scotty Hopson into the trade after acquiring him over the weekend, marking the third trade for Hopson’s non-guaranteed contract in less than a week. So, It’s Asik, Casspi and $1.5MM to the Pelicans, Ariza, Gee, Hopson and a protected 2015 first-round pick to the Rockets, and Ely to the Wizards.
TUESDAY, 10:23am: The NBA has given its approval for the trade, and a formal announcement is forthcoming, according to John Reid of The Times Picayune (Twitter link).
SUNDAY, 7:55pm: Ely will not be retained by the Wizards, tweets J. Michael of CSNWashington.com.
5:59pm: Ariza will go to Houston on a three-way deal, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (on Twitter). The Pelicans will get Omer Asik, Omri Casspi, and $1.5MM from the Rockets. Houston will get Ariza from Washington, Alonzo Gee, and a protected 2015 first-round choice from New Orleans. The Wizards will take on the non-guaranteed contract of Melvin Ely from New Orleans while receiving a $8.5MM trade exception (link).
Of course, Asik was already headed to the Pelicans in exchange for the 2015 first-rounder. Now, the deal has been expanded to help facilitate the Ariza sign-and-trade. Gee, meanwhile, has now been traded twice inside of a week.
5:08pm: The Rockets will acquire Trevor Ariza in a sign-and-trade deal with the Wizards, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The Wizards will get a $8.5MM trade exception by making the deal, but it’s not clear what they’ll be sending to Houston in the trade.
The Rockets and Ariza agreed on a four-year, $32MM deal yesterday. A number of teams were rumored to be interested in the sharpshooter’s services, but the Rockets came out on top. Ariza will try and help fill the void at small forward for Houston now that Chandler Parsons is Dallas-bound.
Ariza’s contract is structured on a declining scale, according to Sam Amick of USA Today. He will earn $8.6MM this season, and $8.2MM, $7.8MM, $7.4MM, in the following years. Ariza could have served as a stretch four alongside Dwight Howard if Parsons was retained, but he’ll now line up at his natural position.
In 77 games with the Wizards last season, the Rob Pelinka client averaged 14.4 points and 6.2 rebounds per night. He shot 40.7% from beyond the arc, well above his career mark of 34.7%. Ariza, 29, played in Houston during the 2009/10 season.
While Ariza is a nice addition, it goes without saying that this wasn’t the summer the Rockets had in mind.
Grizzlies Re-Sign Beno Udrih
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: 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: 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: 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.