Kings Waive Roger Mason Jr.
The Kings announced that they have waived Roger Mason Jr. Sacramento acquired the veteran from the Heat earlier today and the move was expected.
Mason is earning the minimum salary this year after making the Heat out of training camp. He’s receiving close to $1.4MM, but his cap hit is only $884,293. The latter number will remain on Sacramento’s books, since his salary is guaranteed for the season.
The 10th-year veteran is averaging just 3.0 points in 10.4 minutes per game. but he’s made a pair of starts this season in place of an injured Dwyane Wade. Mason has also been a major force within the National Basketball Players Association during his time in the league, but that hasn’t kept him from securing NBA work despite having been only a fringe rotation player for most of the past four seasons.
Cavaliers Acquire Hawes For Clark, Sims
The Sixers and Cavs have agreed to a trade that sends Spencer Hawes to Cleveland for Earl Clark, Henry Sims, and draft picks. The deal is now official following the Cavs’ press release. Cleveland is sending their 2014 second-round pick and the Grizzlies’ 2014 second-rounder to the Sixers as a part of the deal.
The Cavs had to send out salaries in the deal as they’re over the cap and couldn’t absorb Hawes’ $6.6MM salary without giving someone up. The deal marks GM David Griffin‘s first significant move in his new role with the Cavs. Cleveland was also shopping Tyler Zeller and gave some thought to dealing Luol Deng, but this move went down as Cleveland’s deadline adjustment. The Rockets also reportedly had interest in Hawes in connection to an Omer Asik deal, but that didn’t come to fruition.
Hawes has been putting up career highs in points, rebounds, assists and three-point shooting percentage for the Sixers as he heads into unrestricted free agency this summer. The 25-year-old former 10th overall pick is finishing up a two-year, $13.1MM deal he signed with Philadelphia in 2012.
Zach Links contributed to this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) first reported that Hawes was on his way to the Cavs. TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link) reported that Clark would be going to the 76ers and the Plain Dealer (via Twitter) added that Sims was in the deal as well. Marc Stein of ESPN.com first reported Cleveland’s interest in the center.
Heat Trade Roger Mason Jr. To Kings
1:37pm: Miami sent the Kings enough cash to cover Mason’s salary, according to Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel.
12:38pm: The Heat have officially announced the deal. Their press release doesn’t mention any cash as part of the transaction, but it notes the second-round pick coming their way is for 2015.
10:22am: The Kings will acquire Roger Mason Jr. and subsequently waive him, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel suggests the Heat will send cash to Sacramento in addition to the veteran shooting guard (on Twitter), and Marc Stein of ESPN.com tweets confirmation of that detail. The Heat will drop to 14 players with the deal, allowing them to bring someone else aboard via signing or another trade. Sacramento will take Mason into its last remaining roster spot after acquiring Jason Terry and Reggie Evans for Marcus Thornton on Wednesday, then open that spot again after letting him go.
The Heat will receive a highly protected second-round pick that Sacramento is unlikely to ever have to actually convey, Stein tweets. Mason tells TNT’s David Aldridge he’s unsure where he’ll sign after Sacramento lets him go (Twitter link).
Mason is earning the minimum salary this year after making the Heat out of training camp. He’s receiving close to $1.4MM, but his cap hit is only $884,293. The latter number will remain on Sacramento’s books, since his salary is guaranteed for the season.
The 10th-year veteran is averaging just 3.0 points in 10.4 minutes per game. but he’s made a pair of starts this season in place of an injured Dwyane Wade. Mason has also been a major force within the National Basketball Players Association during his time in the league, but that hasn’t kept him from securing NBA work despite having been only a fringe rotation player for most of the past four seasons.
Warriors Acquire Steve Blake
The Warriors have acquired Steve Blake from the Lakers in exchange for Kent Bazemore and MarShon Brooks, the team announced on Wednesday evening via press release. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports confirmed the completed deal (via Twitter), while Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times was the first to report the discussions (via Twitter). Ken Berger of CBS Sports was first to confirm the inclusion of Bazemore and Brooks (via Twitter).
Blake had been enjoying a nice run in his fourth year in Los Angeles, averaging 9.5 points and 7.6 assists in 33 minutes per contest despite missing most of December with an elbow injury. As USA Today’s Sam Amick tweets, the deal has been in the works since last week, as Blake was the Warriors target once acquiring Andre Miller became unrealistic. Grantland’s Zach Lowe likes the move for Golden State, tweeting that they get a solid player for next to nothing and open up a roster spot in the process. Spelling Stephen Curry, who averages 37.7 minutes per night this season, the 33-year-old Maryland product figures to fill a role that has been vacant since Jarrett Jack left for Cleveland.
Blake was informed of the deal at the Staples Center just prior to the team’s game against the Rockets tonight and walked out in street clothes according to multiple reports. While his availability via trade was never in doubt, rumors surrounding Blake seemed less prevalant than those involving Laker teammates Pau Gasol, Jordan Hill and Chris Kaman. Bresnahan caught up with the point guard beforehand. “Real mixed emotions,” Blake said. “The hardest thing really is my family. Now I’m going to have to spend four months probably away from them.” (Twitter link)
As Berger points out, the move helps the Lakers creep closer to the luxury tax threshold. He calculates it would shave nearly $3.5MM off the bill for the Lakers in the unlikely scenario that they are done dealing (Twitter link). Meanwhile, to obtain Blake, the Warriors utilized the $4MM exception they acquired by dealing Brandon Rush to Utah this summer, tweets Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle. Blake will be a free agent this summer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Kings Trade Thornton To Nets For Terry, Evans
The Kings and Nets have announced the first trade of the 2014 deadline season, a deal to send Marcus Thornton to Brooklyn for Jason Terry and Reggie Evans. David Aldridge of TNT first reported the agreement, via Twitter. The deal came together over the last 24 hours or so, with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports the first to report that negotiations had become serious. No picks or cash are involved in the transaction, according to Aldridge, though Wojnarowski reported that the teams were discussing making a conditional pick that would go to the Nets a part of the trade. Both teams had room beneath the 15-man roster limit, so no one will have to be released before the trade can become official.
The Nets take on less than $1MM in extra salary as a part of the trade, but that’s compounded because they’re deep into tax territory. The Nets are also willing to take back Jordan Hill from the Lakers, and that would mean the Nets would be in line for a luxury tax payment of about $105MM, according to Grantland’s Zach Lowe (Twitter link), and that’s money that would be distributed to non-taxpayers at season’s end. Together with Brooklyn’s roughly $100MM payroll, Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov appears willing to spend more than $200MM on this year’s team.
Both teams were also in talks with the Cavs about Jarrett Jack, but it appears they instead decided to make a trade of their own. All three players are on guaranteed deals that run through 2014/15. Thornton, the highest-paid player in the deal, earns $8MM this year and is set to receive close to $8.6MM next season. Terry makes about $5.6MM this season and $5.85MM in 2014/15. Evans will get roughly $1.7MM this year and $1.8MM next season.
The Kings have shown eagerness this season to trade Thornton, their leading scorer from 2011/12. He was involved in multiple reported proposals, including ones to the Cavs and Nuggets. He’s averaging just 8.3 points in 24.4 minutes per game this season, but that includes a 42-point outburst against the Pacers on January 24th.
“Marcus is a proven scorer in this league,” Nets GM Billy King said of the 26-year-old Thornton, in the team’s release. “He is a young talent who will help us in the backcourt.”
Terry, 36, has slumped after signing a three-year contract in 2012 with the Celtics, who traded him to the Nets in the Paul Pierce/Kevin Garnett blockbuster this past summer. He’s averaging 4.5 PPG and 16.3 MPG this season, both career lows. Evans, long one of the best per-minute rebounders in the league, is excelling in that category again this season, grabbing 13.4 boards every 36 minutes. He’s nonetheless seen a more than 50% cut in playing time this year for Brooklyn, thanks in part to the presence of Garnett.
“Adding Jason and Reggie provides our roster with toughness and veteran leadership that will help this team continue to grow,” Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro said, in Sacramento’s press release. “They bring a wealth of NBA experience to Sacramento that will undoubtedly make a positive impact on our younger players. We also thank Marcus for his contributions and wish him great success going forward.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chris Duhon Breaks Deal With Italian Team
WEDNESDAY, 8:01am: Duhon has decided to back out of his contract with Juve Caserta, Carchia reports. Since the deal had already gone official, it’s unclear what repercussions the guard will face.
3:44pm: Atripaldi, Caserta’s GM, puts the chances of Duhon playing with the team at 30% in an interview with Prima Rete (transcription via La Reggia Del Basket; translation via Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia).
TUESDAY, 12:06pm: The deal may come apart because of family matters for Duhon, according to Carchia, who says resolution about whether the guard will indeed play in Italy should come within the next few hours (Twitter links).
7:15pm: Juve Caserta has officially announced the Duhon signing, Carchia reports. The team’s GM Marco Atripaldi stated, “We have a deal with Chris Duhon. He will land in Italy next week.”
1:40pm: Duhon’s deal is now official, Carchia reports. Caserta will announce the signing later today, and Duhon will likely join his new club next week sometime.
SATURDAY, 9:11am: Duhon has not yet signed a contract with Caserta but is expected to do so today, a source close to the team tells Emiliano Carchia of Sportando.
FRIDAY, 11:18pm: Chris Duhon has reached an agreement to play with Caserta in Italy, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Duhon last played in the NBA for the Lakers during the 2012/2013 season. He averaged 2.9 PPG, 1.5 RPG, and 2.9 APG last year over 46 games. Duhon was originally drafted out of Duke in 2004 by the Bulls. He was taken as the ninth pick in the second round. His career averages over nine NBA seasons are 6.5 PPG, 2.3 RPG, and 4.4 APG. He spent his first four years with the Bulls, then spent time with the Knicks and Magic before ending up with the Lakers.
During his last season in L.A., back issues related to a herniated disk slowed him down until he was finally waived by the Lakers. Then in October of 2013 he was involved in a bizarre accident, where a motorist intentionally hit Duhon with his car after the two men had had a verbal altercation. He hit his head on the windshield, and sustained both head and body injuries from the incident.
His agent, Ray Bradbury of BDA Sports was quoted as saying, “Chris is ready to play again and wants to show everyone he’s healthy. This is a great opportunity.”
Bulls Sign Jarvis Varnado
TUESDAY, 12:25pm: Chicago has officially announced the deal.
MONDAY, 10:44pm: The Bulls are set to sign Jarvis Varnado to a 10-day deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The big man worked out for Chicago on Monday and they apparently liked what they saw.
Varnado worked out for the 76ers back in January along with other big men but didn’t make the cut for their vacant roster spot. Earlier this month, it was reported that Varnado, a shot-blocking specialist, was drawing interest from multiple NBA clubs. The 25-year-old probably hopes to see more burn than he did last season. In 13 games with Boston and Miami, Varnado logged a grand total of 58 minutes.
Lamar Odom To Play In Spain
7:58am: Odom will earn about $50K per month with Laboral Vitoria, according to Chema de Lucas of Gigantes (translation via Sportando, on Twitter).
TUESDAY, 7:43am: Odom has officially signed with the Spanish team, according to the Euroleague’s website.
MONDAY, 6:37pm: Lamar Odom has reached agreement on a deal with Spanish club Laboral Vitoria, according to Marc Stein of ESPN.com (via Twitter). David Pick of Eurobasket.com (on Twitter) first passed along word that Odom was in talks with the team. Odom intends to play out the rest of the season in Spain, Stein adds.
The Clippers were flirting with the idea of signing the veteran forward for much of the season but they wound up inking the likes of Hedo Turkoglu and Sasha Vujacic instead. It has been a rocky few years for the 34-year-old New York City native. Odom was a bust when he was with the Mavericks for the 2011/12 season and even though he saw time in all of the Clippers’ 82 games in 2012/13, he reportedly went into a downward spiral over the summer that included a DUI and possible drug abuse. It remains to be seen whether he can find his way back to the NBA, but the basketball world is rooting for him.
Spurs Re-Sign Shannon Brown To 10-Day Deal
The Spurs have re-signed Shannon Brown to a second 10-day contract, the team announced via press release. The timing isn’t quite as curious as it might seem with the All-Star break looming, since Brown’s contract will cover four games, just as many as it would have if San Antonio had signed him right after the break. That’s in contrast to Atlanta’s decision to ink Cartier Martin to a second 10-day deal last night, since the Hawks have six games in the 10 days following the break.
The new deal for Brown isn’t a surprise, since he traveled with the team for tonight’s game in Boston, as Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News observes (Twitter link). Injury-riddled San Antonio made Brown a starter in his first game with the team, but he’s only played 50 minutes total over six games, averaging 2.2 points per contest.
The Mark Bartelstein client will have a few more opportunities to impress the Spurs brass before they have to decide whether to make him the team’s 15th guaranteed contract or let him go. The Spurs can’t trade Brown at the deadline, but they could unilaterally cut ties with him before his latest 10-day contract expires if they need to use his roster spot to accommodate an unbalanced swap.
Hawks Re-Sign Cartier Martin
The Hawks have given Cartier Martin a second 10-day deal, the team has announced via press release. The timing is a little odd, given that the All-Star break will take up half the length of the contract, but perhaps Atlanta wants to keep the small forward from other teams. He had a pair of 10-day deals with the Bulls earlier this season, and Tom Thibodeau is high on him.
Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday that the team was likely to re-sign Martin, though at that point there wasn’t a timetable. He appeared in only two games on his first 10-day with the Hawks, but he’s played 27 games for them this season overall, since he was with the club from camp until January 7th, when Atlanta elected to waive him rather than guarantee his contract for the season. The Hawks will again face a decision of whether to guarantee the Andrew Vye client‘s deal for the balance of the year once his latest 10-day deal expires.
Atlanta can’t trade Martin at the deadline, as I explained earlier today, but the team could terminate his deal early to open up a roster spot for an unbalanced trade if need be. The Hawks have 14 guaranteed contracts, so Martin occupies the team’s only open roster space.