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Odds & Ends: Jackson, Fesenko, Clippers

November 8th, 2013 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

As we look forward to a weekend full of NBA action, let’s round up a few odds and ends from around the Association….

Veteran free agent Stephen Jackson has changed agents, according to Interperformances, who announced today that the ex-Spur has signed with the agency. Jackson had previously been represented by Dan Fegan and Relativity Sports, but it seems his lack of employment prompted him to make a change.
Following an offseason that included a record 13 head coaching changes, one unnamed coach tells Sean Deveney of the Sporting News that “everyone’s scared s—less out there.” Added the anonymous coach: “There’s different criteria being measured on coaches and it is not just winning. You can win your ass off and still get fired.”
Former NBA big man Kyrylo Fesenko has signed with Slask Wroclaw in Poland, according to the team (English link via Sportando). Fesenko, a second-round pick in 2007, played with the Jazz for four seasons before a brief stint with the Pacers in 2011/12.
In the view of Lang Greene of HoopsWorld, the Clippers‘ offseason signing of Byron Mullens was an unheralded move that could pay long-term dividends.
ESPN.com’s Chad Ford continues his week-long, Insider-only breakdown of top prospects by position, as he previews the best big men expected to be available in the 2014 draft.

Knicks Acquire D-League Rights To Jeremy Tyler

November 4th, 2013 at 5:56pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the Knicks’ D-League affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, officially acquired the D-League rights to forward Jeremy Tyler in a deal with the Santa Cruz Warriors, according to Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. In exchange for the big man, Santa Cruz will receive the rights to forward Ryan Evans and a pair of D-League draft choices.

The Knicks were high on the 22-year-old for much of the offseason until an injury took him out of action. After that, the Knicks decided to give their final three roster spots to Toure Murry, Cole Aldrich, and Chris Smith, the younger brother of standout guard J.R. Smith. Tyler is still rehabbing the stress fracture in his right foot, but today’s deal will allow the Knicks to closely monitor his progress. Given their enthusiasm about the once highly-touted prospect, it wouldn’t be a shock to see the Knicks sign him later on in the season.

Scott Suggs and Shane Gibson will also be sent from the Warriors’ affiliate to the Knicks’ affiliate.

Odds & Ends: Mavs, D-League, Collins, Dragic

November 1st, 2013 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Dirk Nowitzki publicly questioned Mark Cuban‘s approach to retooling the Mavericks back in January, and the team struck out on its top target again this summer when Dwight Howard decided to join the Rockets. But Nowitzki tells Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com that he’s pleased with the roster Cuban and Donnie Nelson put together this offseason, and he’s encouraged by the club’s direction.

“I think as a franchise, we’ve moved on,” Nowitzki said of the failed attempts to recruit star free agents. “We didn’t go for the whole cap space deal again, like we did last year, so I was obviously pleased to see that.”

Here are a few more Friday afternoon odds and ends:

With the D-League draft set to get underway at 6:00pm CT tonight, the Iowa Energy traded the third overall pick as part of a deal with the Sioux Falls Skyforce. Heat camp invitee and NBA champion Jarvis Varnado headed to Iowa in the move, as Keith Schlosser writes at Ridiculous Upside.
One player who won’t be playing on a D-League squad anytime soon is free agent big man Jason Collins, according to ESPN.com’s Marc Stein. Stein hears from a source that Collins isn’t considering playing overseas or in the D-League, since he still believes he’s an NBA player and prefers to continue his workout regimen at home in Los Angeles.
In a separate ESPN.com story, Stein writes that the Suns are comfortable with Eric Bledsoe heading into free agency next summer. However, it sounds like Phoenix hasn’t ruled out the possibility of facilitating a sign-and-trade involving Bledsoe in July if he gets too pricey, so the team likely won’t shop Goran Dragic for now.
John Jenkins tells Lang Greene of HoopsWorld it “feels great” that the Hawks elected to exercise his third-year option for 2014/15 yesterday.
$14MM over four years is a reasonable price for Quincy Pondexter, but he’ll have to continue to develop for his new contract to be a good investment for the Grizzlies, says Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com.
DeShawn Sims, who was in camp with the Celtics in October, has signed with Galil Gilboa in Israel, agent Mike Silverman tells Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype (Twitter link).
Since being released by the Rockets, Tim Ohlbrecht has remained in the U.S. in hopes of landing another NBA job, but continues to consider overseas offers, according to Schlosser at Ridiculous Upside.

Hawks Pick Up Option On Jenkins, Not Cunningham

October 31st, 2013 at 9:54pm CST by Alex Lee

The Hawks have announced via press release that they’ve exercised the 2014/15 option on second-year guard John Jenkins, who will make $1.31MM next season. Meanwhile, Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the team will not pick up their third-year option on Jared Cunningham.

Atlanta selected the sharp shooting Jenkins out of Vanderbilt with the 23rd pick in the 2012 draft. He averaged 6.1 points and 1.5 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game as a rookie, starting twice in 61 games. He also spent a brief amount of time in the D-League in December. The Hawks acquired Cunningham, taken the pick after Jenkins, in a draft day deal with Dallas. He will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.

Bobcats Pick Up 2014/15 Options On Three

October 31st, 2013 at 8:51pm CST by Luke Adams

8:51 pm: The Bobcats have officially announced in a press release that they have exercised their 2014/15 options on Biyombo, Walker and Kidd-Gilchrist.

3:15 pm: The Bobcats have exercised their 2014/15 options on Bismack Biyombo, Kemba Walker, Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, reports Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Biyombo and Walker are now locked up on fully guaranteed deals through 2015, while the team will hold one more option on Kidd-Gilchrist in ’15/16.

Kidd-Gilchrist’s option is for his third year, as opposed to Biyombo’s and Walker’s fourth-year options, but the Kentucky product will be in line for the largest ’14/15 salary due to his draft position. Kidd-Gilchrist will earn a little over $5MM next season, while Biyombo will make about $3.87MM and Walker will earn about $3.27MM. Biyombo and Walker will be extension-eligible next summer.

As our rookie contract option tracker shows, with tonight’s deadline looming, only a couple more teams still need to make decisions on whether to exercise or decline 2014/15 rookie contract options.

76ers Exercise Options On Moultrie, Wroten

October 31st, 2013 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The Sixers have guaranteed a pair of salaries for the 2014/15 season, having exercised their options on Arnett Moultrie and Tony Wroten, according to RealGM.com’s transactions log. Neither 2012 draftee had a particularly strong rookie campaign, but their salaries will only add about $2.35MM in guaranteed money to Philadelphia’s ’14/15 books.

Moultrie, 22, played well (16.7 PER) when he saw the court in his rookie season, but only averaged 11.5 MPG in 47 contests. He’ll earn $1.14MM in his third year. Wroten, meanwhile, was traded to the Sixers by the Grizzlies in August, essentially for nothing but the cap savings. He should get a chance to earn a larger role in Philadelphia this season, before getting a salary bump to about $1.21MM in 2014/15.

The Sixers now have five players on guaranteed contracts for ’14/15, plus Jason Richardson, who has a $6.6MM player option that will certainly be exercised if he’s not bought out.

Grizzlies Sign Quincy Pondexter To Extension

October 31st, 2013 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

3:48pm: The Grizzlies have officially announced in a press release that they’ve signed Pondexter to a contract extension.

10:33am: The Grizzlies’ deal with Pondexter will be worth $14MM over four years, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (via Twitter).

8:03am: Ed Davis was viewed as the likeliest extension candidate on the Grizzlies leading up to today’s deadline, but his teammate Quincy Pondexter may be the only Memphis player who gets a new deal today, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal. Tillery reports (via Twitter) that Pondexter and the Grizzlies are expected to finalize a four-year contract in advance of today’s deadline, while an extension is unlikely for Davis, who is far apart with the team in negotiations.

When ESPN.com’s Marc Stein examined extension possibilities 10 days ago, he indicated that a deal for Pondexter hadn’t been completely ruled out by the Grizzlies, though it didn’t seem probable. According to Tillery (via Twitter), the extension came together within the last few days, after the two sides exchanged proposals. The financial terms of the contract remain unclear, but it’s safe to assume that Pondexter’s deal will be much more modest than those signed recently by Paul George, John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, Derrick Favors, and Larry Sanders.

Pondexter, 25, was limited to 59 games last season due to a sprained MCL, but had his best run during the playoffs, when he averaged 8.9 PPG and shot 45.3% on three-pointers. The 6’6″ shooter has played the last two seasons in Memphis after being acquired from New Orleans in a trade for Greivis Vasquez.

With today’s extension deadline looming, I wouldn’t be surprised if we see one or two players besides Pondexter secure new deals. Gordon Hayward of the Jazz and Eric Bledsoe of the Suns are among the candidates.

Kings Decline 2014/15 Option On Fredette

October 31st, 2013 at 3:34pm CST by Luke Adams

The Kings have informed Jimmer Fredette of their decision to turn down his option for 2014/15, reports Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter). The move ensures that Fredette will become an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Two years into his NBA career, Fredette, 24, hasn’t lived up to the lofty expectations placed on him when he was drafted 10th overall in 2011. Although the BYU product recorded a respectable 14.6 PER last season, his minutes per game were reduced from 18.6 in his rookie year to just 14.0 in 2012/13. In a Kings backcourt that features Greivis Vasquez, Isaiah Thomas, Ben McLemore, and Marcus Thornton, it doesn’t look like there’s a meaningful role for Fredette, who would have been in line for a $3.11MM salary in 2014/15.

As our rookie contract option tracker shows, it’s rare for teams to turn down options on rookie contracts. So the Kings’ decision still comes as a slight surprise, even though our Chuck Myron wrote last month that Fredette was in danger due in part to his defensive limitations and the new regime in Sacramento. The decision likely ensures that Fredette’s name will pop up in trade rumors frequently between now and February’s deadline.

Celtics Pick Up Option On Sullinger, Decline On Brooks

October 31st, 2013 at 1:48pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 1:48pm: The Celtics have officially exercised their 2014/15 option on Sullinger, the team announced today in a press release. As Ainge suggested on Wednesday, Brooks’ option was not picked up.

WEDNESDAY, 1:43pm: Celtics GM Danny Ainge confirmed today that his team will exercise its 2014/15 option on Jared Sullinger‘s rookie contract, according to Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com (via Twitter). However, the C’s will turn down their option on offseason acquisition MarShon Brooks, says Forsberg.

The decision to pick up Sullinger’s third-year option comes as no surprise, following a productive rookie season that was cut short by back surgery. As our rookie contract option tracker shows, he’ll be in line for a 2014/15 salary of only about $1.42MM, so it will have a negligible impact on Boston’s cap flexibility.

As for Brooks, his $2.18MM fourth-year option is fairly inexpensive as well, but it seems the former Net isn’t in the Celtics’ long-term plans at the moment. Although the team will still be able to re-sign Brooks if he impresses in Boston this season, he’ll now be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

Bulls Pick Up Options On Butler, Teague

October 30th, 2013 at 5:13pm CST by Luke Adams

5:13pm: The Bulls have officially announced the moves, via press release.

4:14pm: After some “lingering doubt,” the Bulls have also picked up their 2014/15 option on Teague, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

10:11am: The Bulls have officially exercised Jimmy Butler‘s fourth-year option, according to RealGM.com’s transactions log. The move ensures that Butler’s salary will be guaranteed through the 2014/15 season.

Butler, 24, appeared in all 82 games for the Bulls last season, averaging 8.6 PPG and a 15.2 PER as he emerged as a key part of the team’s core. He’ll be in line for a salary of about $2MM in ’14/15, and will also be eligible for a contract extension as of next July.

The Bulls also have to make a decision today or tomorrow on Marquis Teague‘s 2014/15 option, and the fact that it has yet to be picked up could signal that Chicago will pass. Although the Bulls would only be on the hook for an extra $1.12MM in ’14/15 if they exercised Teague’s option, a report earlier this month suggested that the club was prepared to move on from the second-year point guard.