Bulls Sign Jimmer Fredette
The Bulls announced today the team has signed guard Jimmer Fredette for the remainder of 
the season. The Octagon Sports client‘s $2.4MM contract had cleared waivers making him a free agent. Exact financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
“We are very excited to add a player like Jimmer to our roster,” said Bulls GM Gar Forman. “We’ve followed him closely throughout his collegiate and professional career, and believe he’ll be the type of player that will fit in with our group and be an asset to the team.”
Chicago was the favorite to add Fredette following his buyout agreement with the Kings on Thursday. The third-year guard is averaging a career low in minutes and points this year, but is shooting .493 from three and having his most efficient offensive season in limited playing time.
The Bulls — an elite defensive team — are hoping the 10th pick from the 2011 draft can add some firepower to their offense, which is ranked 27th in both three-point makes and percentage this season. Fredette has averaged 7 PPG and 1.5 APG in two-plus years with the Kings, where some believe he was miscast as a point guard and buried behind other developing talent that Sacramento accumulated in the backcourt.
While other notable buyout players Danny Granger, Glen Davis, and Caron Butler have signed up with contenders in the Western Conference over the last week, Fredette chose an Eastern Conference playoff team that could give him an opportunity to shine before he becomes a free agent in the summer.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Sam Amick of USA Today first reported the agreement. Shams Charania of RealGM reported that the deal covers the rest of the season and doesn’t include any options (Twitter link).
Caron Butler Signs With Thunder
The Thunder have signed Caron Butler, the team announced. The Raymond Brothers client spurns the Heat, who had been co-favorites with Oklahoma City. The Bulls, Spurs and Rockets were also in contention for the 12th-year veteran. The deal covers the rest of the season, and perhaps there’s a player option for 2014/15, as Glen Davis recently re
ceived from the Clippers.
“We are pleased to welcome Caron Butler to the Thunder organization and to Oklahoma City,” GM Sam Presti said. “Caron represents what we look for in a Thunder player and will positively impact our team. His toughness. hard-nosed defense, resiliency and highly regarded professionalism will only enhance our depth and bring additional versatility to the roster.”
Oklahoma City had reportedly been seeking a two-way wing player before the trade deadline, and were willing to give up their own 2014 first-round pick to acquire Iman Shumpert from the Knicks. New York turned the Thunder down, and while Butler isn’t quite the defensive presence that Shumpert is, the Thunder appear to be better off, particularly since they’ll get to keep their draft pick and they’re likely making only a minimum-salary investment. Oklahoma City had been carrying just 13 players, so the team didn’t have to make a corresponding move.
Butler, who turns 34 in March, has been enduring one of his worst shooting seasons, connecting on just 38.7% of his shots. He’s still making 36.1% of his three-point attempts, and he averaged 11.0 points in 24.1 minutes per game for Milwaukee, which is close to his native Racine, Wisconsin. Butler’s homecoming this season to the league-worst Bucks was no fairy tale, and the team made him a part of trade talks before agreeing to a buyout this week. It’s unclear how much of this season’s $8MM salary he gave up to pry his way out his contract, which was set to end this summer.
The two-time All-Star goes from the bottom of the Eastern Conference standings to the top of the West with Oklahoma City, which figures to make Butler the backup to Kevin Durant and use them together in small-ball lineups. The early end of OKC’s pursuit of Danny Granger, who wound up picking the Clippers late Thursday night, reportedly led executives around the league to believe the Thunder were confident about their ability to land Butler. Miami had seemed like a natural fit, since the Heat made Butler the 10th overall pick in the 2002 draft, and he played his first two seasons with the team, developing a close relationship with Dwyane Wade, the godfather of one of Butler’s daughters.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported the agreement, noting that it covered the rest of the season.
Suns Sign Shavlik Randolph, Waive Kravtsov
3:46pm: The contract will cover the remainder of this season with a team option for 2014/15, according to Shams Charania of RealGM. It’s rare for team options to be a part of free agent contracts, so it wouldn’t be surprising if it’s a non-guaranteed year rather than an option year.
1:21pm: The Suns have signed Shavlik Randolph, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. The team also officially announced the moves. Randolph is a 30-year-old power forward who’s played for four teams NBA teams over the course of his career, most recently for the Celtics in 2012/13, where he averaged 4.2 points and 4.4 rebounds in 16 games. The specifics of the contract haven’t been revealed yet.
Randolph had been playing overseas in China, where he put up impressive marks of 22.3 points and 12.3 rebounds per night, albeit in just six appearances. This move should help bolster the Suns frontcourt depth as the team looks to make some noise in the playoffs after missing three straight postseasons.
In order to make room for Randolph, the Suns have waived rarely used center Slava Kravtsov. Throughout 20 contests, Kravtsov played just 59 minutes, and averaged one point per night. Phoenix will be on the hook for the remainder of his $1.5MM salary.
Sixers Sign Jarvis Varnado To 10-Day Contract
The Sixers have signed Jarvis Varnado to a 10-day deal, per a team release. Varnado is coming off a 10-day contract with the Bulls that just expired. The power forward joins Philadelphia on his 26th birthday, and will hope to see more minutes on a Sixers roster depleted of much NBA talent.
The shot-blocking specialist only played two minutes in a single game with Chicago, his only NBA action this season. He played in 13 games last year with the Heat and Celtics, averaging just in 0.6 points and 0.6 rebounds in 4.3 minutes per game. Varnado was a D-League All-Star selection this year, averaging 14.1 points, 11.0 rebounds, and 4.7 blocks with the Iowa Energy.
Varnado is a represented by Impact Sports Basketball, according to our Agency Database. While the Bulls had room on the roster to sign Varanado to either a second 10-day contract or a deal for the rest of the year, their recent agreement with Jimmer Fredette likely precluded that possibility. The Bulls are doing their best to stay under the luxury tax line.
Danny Granger Signs With Clippers
The Clippers have officially announced their signing of Danny Granger, who cleared waivers today after he agreed to a buyout with the Sixers on Wednesday. The former All-S
tar and five-time Pacers scoring leader is perhaps the most significant coup on the buyout market, and he strengthens a Clippers team already in championship contention. He joins Glen Davis as another key acquisition for the Clippers in the wake of the trade deadline, bringing the team’s roster to 14 players, which leaves room for one more.
Granger had also been considering the Bulls, Spurs, Heat, and Rockets, and the Mavs had been expected to make a run at him, too. He was traded to the Sixers from the Pacers at the trade deadline after spending the first eight-plus years of his career in Indiana, but was subsequently waived after negotiating a buyout. Terms and length of the potential deal being discussed are not yet known. Aaron Mintz of the Creative Artists Agency represents Granger, as our Agency Database shows.
The Clippers had the edge over the other teams, since they are able to offer the most playing time, perhaps making him a starter at small forward. Granger also has an offseason home in Los Angeles. He wanted to play for a contender, and with the Clippers’ record of 40-20, four games back of the Thunder for the top seed in the Western Conference, they definitely fit that description.
The ninth-year veteran has struggled to regain his form after missing all but five games last season. Granger played in 29 games for the Pacers before being traded to the Sixers, and averaged 8.3 PPG, 3.6 RPG, and 1.1 APG in 22.5 minutes per contest. He didn’t see any action for the Sixers, and last saw the court on February 19th, when he scored two points in 18 minutes versus the Timberwolves.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Candace Buckner of the Indianapolis Star originally reported that Granger had chosen to sign with the Clippers.
Celtics Sign Chris Babb To 10-Day Contract
FRIDAY, 11:15am: The Celtics have officially signed Babb, the team announced. The move brings Boston’s roster to 15 players.
THURSDAY, 7:22pm: The Celtics plan to sign guard Chris Babb to a 10-day contract on Friday or Saturday, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Babb has been playing with the Maine Red Claws in the D-League.
Babb went undrafted in 2013, but played in the summer league for the Suns. He then signed with the Celtics on September 30th, 2013, but was subsequently waived by the team on October 26th. He joined the Red Claws on October 31st.
Babb has played in 32 games for the Red claws this season, and has averaged 11.9 PPG, 6.1 RPG, 3.3 APG, and 1.2 SPG, while logging 37.5 MPG.
Kings Agree To Buyout With Jimmer Fredette
5:52pm: Fredette is “strongly leaning” towards joining the Bulls once he clears waivers, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link).
3:26pm: The Kings and Jimmer Fredette have reached agreement on a buyout, the team announced. Sacramento’s press release doesn’t specifically state that the team has placed him on waivers, but presumably that’s the case. The Kings and Fredette’s representatives with Octagon Sports have been engaged in buyout talks this week after Sacramento failed to find a new home for its former 10th overall pick before the trade deadline.
Fredette will likely become a free agent on Saturday, and the Cavs and Bulls appear to be the teams with the most significant interest in signing him. Fredette is reportedly cool on the idea of joining Cleveland and is strongly considering latching on with a playoff team from the Eastern Conference. Chicago is pursuing others on the buyout market, but its best shot at landing a player of note appears to be with Fredette. The Grizzlies had interest, but Fredette was leaning against signing with Memphis in the hours before the Grizzlies claimed Beno Udrih off waivers Thursday, likely short-circuiting any chance of Fredette ending up with them.
Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio nonetheless hears the Grizzlies, as well as the Nuggets, are intrigued, and he names the Jazz a likely suitor as well. The Cavs are a long shot, according to Amico.
It’s not clear how much of Fredette’s $2,439,840 salary he’s giving up in the arrangement. The Kings declined the fourth-year option on his rookie scale contract, so he was due to hit free agency this summer. He never lived up to his draft position in Sacramento, where he saw his playing time shrink with each passing season. Still, he’s shooting 49.3% from three-point range with a 16.5 PER this season in 11.3 minutes per game.
“This was a very tough decision, but we’re confident that the agreement reached today represents the most productive path forward, both for Jimmer and the Kings,” Sacramento GM Pete D’Alessandro said. “Echoing a sentiment that everyone who knows him appreciates about Jimmer, he’s a tremendous person and a consummate professional. We thank him for the meaningful contributions he made to the team and in the Sacramento community. On behalf of an entire organization, we wish him nothing but great success in the future.”
The move opens a roster spot, and a report earlier this week indicated the team was likely to fill it with a 10-day contract for fellow former first-round pick Royce White. Still, coach Michael Malone said Thursday that such a move wouldn’t be happening soon.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Bucks Waive Caron Butler In Buyout Deal
4:43pm: The Bucks have officially waived Butler, the team announced. There’s no mention of a buyout arrangement in the statement, but presumably that’s what took place. He’s set to become a free agent on Saturday.
3:56pm: A source tells Charles F. Gardner of the Journal Sentinel that Butler’s parting of ways with the Bucks is official, and Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com hears he’ll be placed on waivers today (Twitter links). Still, there’s been no official announcement from the team.
8:01am: Caron Butler and the Bucks have reached agreement on a buyout, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who casts the Thunder and Heat as the favorites to sign the small forward once he clears waivers. The Bulls and Spurs are also in the running, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links). Butler will hit waivers once Milwaukee makes the move official, and presumably will become a free agent 48 hours later.
The Heat appeared to be the front runners for their former lottery pick when news broke earlier this week that Butler and the Bucks were talking about a buyout, but it appears they have strong competition from Oklahoma City. The Spurs have also previously been linked to Butler, but the Bulls appear to be a newcomer to the pursuit.
The 33-year-old Butler was in trade chatter leading up to the deadline, and while one report indicated the Bucks would be reluctant to give up the Wisconsin native, another suggested the team was ready to part ways, either via trade or buyout. Milwaukee acquired Butler in a trade with the Suns in the offseason, though he never played for Phoenix, which traded for him earlier in the summer in a deal with the Clippers. Butler’s expiring contract calls for him to make $8MM this season, though it’s unclear how much of that the Raymond Brothers client is giving up in the buyout.
Hawks Sign Mike Muscala
THURSDAY, 12:02pm: Atlanta has officially signed Muscala, the team announced. The release of Dexter Pittman cleared a roster spot enabling the move. The team doesn’t specify whether it’s a 10-day contract or a pact for the rest of the season.
TUESDAY, 8:31am: The Hawks indeed bought out Muscala’s deal with Obradoiro, according to Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, though it’s not clear just how much the Hawks shelled out. It’s unlikely that it was more than the Excluded International Player Payment Amount of $575K, since anything over that figure would count against team salary and come out of Muscala’s paychecks from the Hawks. The deal between Muscala and Obradoiro was believed to be a one-year contract, Vivlamore adds.
7:39am: The Hawks will sign 2013 second-round pick Mike Muscala, reports Javier Maestro of Encestando. Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia provides translation and further confirmation from agent Misko Raznatovic that the former Bucknell center is on his way to Atlanta. Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype reported Monday that the Hawks had been speaking with Spanish club Obradoiro, for which Muscala has been playing, but Atlanta had yet to extend an offer at that point.
It’s not clear how much money, if any, the Hawks had to pony up to buy Muscala out of his Spanish contract. Muscala signed with Obradoiro this summer, a few months after the Mavs drafted him 44th overall and traded him to the Hawks on draft night. The deal is likely for at least the rest of the season, probably with one more non-guaranteed season tacked on. If it were just a 10-day arrangement, Atlanta would lose his draft rights and he’d be free to sign with any NBA team at the end of the 10 days.
Muscala has averaged 14.6 points and 7.8 rebounds in 26.7 minutes per game in the Spanish ACB league this year. Other European teams had interest in him, but Obradoiro turned away their pursuit, according to Sierra. Atlanta has the NBA rights to another center playing in Spain, but the Hawks can’t sign Lucas Nogueira, the 16th overall pick from this past June, until this coming summer. That’s because the Hawks took his cap hold off their books to clear cap space before the season started.
The Hawks signed Dexter Pittman to a 10-day contract on Saturday, filling their final roster spot, so they’ll have to wait for Pittman’s contract to run out, cut him loose early, or waive a guaranteed contract to facilitate Muscala’s signing.
Grizzlies Claim Beno Udrih Off Waivers
THURSDAY, 11:51am: Memphis has officially announced its waiver acquisition of Udrih.
WEDNESDAY, 4:13pm: The Grizzlies have claimed Beno Udrih off waivers, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Stein also notes that Metta World Peace has cleared waivers. Memphis absorbs Udrih’s minimum salary, and any giveback the point guard agreed to as part of a buyout agreement with the Knicks is now likely null and void. New York no longer owes Udrih any money, since Memphis has assumed his one-year contract.
World Peace is making slightly more than the minimum and has a player option for next season, so it was far less likely any team would put in a claim. World Peace is now a free agent, and his top choices are reportedly to sign with the Thunder, Spurs or Heat. It’s unclear if any of those teams has mutual interest. The Clippers are reportedly interested, though it appears their top priority is pursuing Danny Granger.
The Grizzlies add a cap hit of $884,293 to their books, likely pushing them over the luxury tax threshold. That wouldn’t have been the case if they had waited to sign Udrih as a free agent after he cleared waivers. The Nuggets and Wizards showed interest in trading for Udrih before the deadline, but we didn’t hear any reports about post-deadline interest in the 31-year-old point guard.
Memphis was willing to make a deadline trade that put the team slightly over the luxury tax, according to TNT’s David Aldridge, and that’s indeed what they appear to have done with their claim of Udrih. Ronald Tillery of The Commercial Appeal believes the move signals a lack of confidence in rookie Nick Calathes to handle the backup point guard duties for the rest of the season (Twitter link).