Chris Smith Joins Erie BayHawks
12:34pm: Smith has rejoined the Erie BayHawks, dressing for the team today in its game against the Idaho Stampede.
WEDNESDAY, 8:30am: A tweet from Smith himself has raised doubts about his D-League team, since it seems to suggest he’s returning to the Erie BayHawks, as Schlosser writes.
TUESDAY, 5:15pm: It was reported earlier this week that the former Knicks reserve Chris Smith would sign with a D-League team but the exact team wasn’t revealed until moments ago by Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. Smith will be signing a D-League contract with the L.A. D-Fenders, who are owned by the Lakers.
This will not be the first time this season Smith has seen playing time in the D-League, as the Knicks sent him down to their affiliate, the Erie BayHawks, for six games prior to waiving him.
Hawks Waive Cartier Martin
The Hawks waived Cartier Martin in advance of today’s 4pm CT deadline, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Had Atlanta not beat the deadline, Martin’s minimum salary contract would have been guaranteed for the rest of the season.
The 29-year-old spent parts of four seasons with the Wizards prior to hooking on with the Hawks, appearing in 118 total games for Washington. Martin averaged 6.6 points per contest and 2.0 rebounds in 17.5 minutes per game for the Hawks this season. He’ll be job hunting but it seems likely that he’ll find something soon, perhaps on a ten-day deal to start.
Sixers Waive Daniel Orton
4:13pm: The Sixers announced the move, making it official.
3:41pm: The 76ers will waive Daniel Orton prior to today’s contract guarantee deadline, reports ESPN.com’s Marc Stein (via Twitter). The move will ensure that Philadelphia isn’t on the hook for Orton’s full-season salary.
Orton, 23, has appeared in 22 games for the Sixers this season, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 11.4 minutes per contest. After being released by the Thunder during training camp, Orton caught on with the Sixers, earning a spot on the regular season roster on a minimum-salary, non-guaranteed deal.
Assuming Orton is the only cut for the Sixers today, the team will open up a single spot on the 15-man roster. There’d be no need to fill that spot right away, but Philadelphia has been active this season in auditioning young players, gauging which of them, if any, could be long-term pieces. As such, I’d expect the team to at least fill that 15th roster spot with a player on a 10-day contract.
Bulls Waive Andrew Bynum
As expected, the Bulls have waived Andrew Bynum, a league source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The move comes in advance of today’s guarantee deadline, so Bynum’s cap hit on Chicago’s books will be worth $6MM rather than his full-season salary of $12.25MM.
Bynum was a Bull for less than 24 hours before being cut, having been acquired from the Cavaliers in the trade involving Luol Deng that was finalized late last night. Because Bynum’s contract acts as a midseason expiring deal, Chicago will be able to dip below the luxury tax threshold, saving more than $20MM in total salary and tax payments.
Due to his significant cap figure and less significant recent impact on the court, Bynum will pass through waivers without being claimed, which will free him up to sign with any team besides Cleveland as soon as this week. The 26-year-old is believed to be interested in the Heat and Clippers, though Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times suggests (via Twitter) that L.A. is lukewarm about the idea of pursuing the big man. The Knicks are expected to be in the mix as well.
It’s unlikely that Bynum will draw more than minimum-salary offers, but if he does, Miami could be well positioned, since the Heat have yet to use their mid-level exception this season.
Clippers Waive Stephen Jackson
2:03pm: Jackson has officially been waived, according to the Clippers.
8:43am: The Clippers have yet to make it official, but “signs are pointing” to Stephen Jackson being released by today’s guarantee deadline, says Dan Woike of the Orange County Register (via Twitter). Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com echoes that sentiment, tweeting that it’s a safe bet the Clips will waive Jackson.
Jackson signed a non-guaranteed deal with the Clippers last month, but hasn’t seen significant action, despite the fact that Matt Barnes, Reggie Bullock, and J.J. Redick have all missed time with various ailments. In nine appearances, the 35-year-old has played 11.9 minutes per game, averaging just 1.7 PPG with a .231 FG% and a 0.2 PER. He was the team’s only healthy, active player not to see action in last night’s blowout of the Magic.
The Clippers also waived Maalik Wayns‘ non-guaranteed contract this week, but immediately filled Wayns’ spot on the roster by signing Darius Morris to a 10-day contract. So if and when L.A. officially releases Jackson, it will reduce the club’s roster count to 14 players — 13 guaranteed deals, plus Morris’ 10-day deal. That open roster spot would give the Clips the flexibility to add another player on a 10-day contract, or even to pursue Andrew Bynum, once he clears waivers.
Lakers Release Shawne Williams
The Lakers have waived Shawne Williams, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The move opens up a spot on the team’s roster, reducing it to 14 players.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles suggested yesterday that, of the Lakers’ four non-guaranteed players, Williams looked like the only real candidate to be cut loose. The 27-year-old had appeared in 32 games for the Lakers, starting 11 of them, but had seen his role reduced as of late. He averaged 5.2 PPG and 4.5 RPG in 20.2 minutes per contest for the season.
With no 15th man on board now, the Lakers could use the available roster spot to bring Williams back on a 10-day deal, or to pursue another free agent, such as Hedo Turkoglu. It doesn’t appear that the club will be opening up any additional spots on the roster, as Kendall Marshall, Ryan Kelly, and Xavier Henry all look like good bets to have their contracts guaranteed.
Jazz Waive Mike Harris
The Jazz have waived Mike Harris in advance of today’s contract guarantee deadline, the team announced in a press release. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando passes along word from Puerto Rican team Leones de Ponce that Harris will sign with the team after leaving Utah.
Harris, a former MVP of the D-League, has spent parts of four seasons since 2007/08 with the Jazz, Rockets, and Wizards. In 20 contests for Utah this season (11.3 MPG), he recorded 4.2 PPG and 1.7 RPG, good for a solid 15.5 PER.
The move reduces Utah’s roster count to 14 players, creating a single opening. Ian Clark and Diante Garrett are also on non-guaranteed contracts, but with no announcement on either player yet, it looks like their spots on the roster may be safe.
Celtics Release Ryan Gomes
The Celtics have waived Ryan Gomes, the team announced today in a press release. Gomes had been a member of the Thunder this season, and was moved to Boston as salary filler in today’s three-team trade that saw the Grizzlies land Courtney Lee. Because Gomes’ contract was non-guaranteed, the C’s won’t be on the hook for his full-season salary.
Gomes, 31, only appeared in five games for the Thunder this season, playing a total of 34 minutes. After signing a minimum-salary contract in the offseason, the veteran forward saw his first NBA regular-season action since playing for the Clippers in 2011/12.
The Thunder’s decision to trade Gomes to the Celtics is cap-related. While Gomes’ full-season salary won’t be on Boston’s books, the salary he earned until now will still apply to the Celtics’ cap. Oklahoma City sent cash considerations to the C’s in the deal, making it worthwhile for Boston to assume Gomes’ modest cap hit, while the Thunder free up a little cap space to take on salary in a later deal, if they so choose.
Grizzlies Acquire Lee In Three-Team Trade
10:21am: The trade is now official, according to press releases from the Celtics and Thunder. OKC’s release notes that the Thunder will also receive the Sixers’ 2014 second-rounder from the Grizzlies in the deal. However, that pick is heavily protected and will only be conveyed if it falls between 51 and 55. The Thunder also sent cash considerations to the C’s in the move.
TUESDAY, 10:10am: In addition to landing Lee, the Grizzlies will receive a 2016 second-round pick from the Celtics, according to Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (Twitter link). The C’s will acquire Bayless and Gomes, while the Thunder will receive a conditional 2017 second-rounder from the Grizzlies, says Tillery. The deal is expected to be finalized today to give Boston the chance to waive Gomes before 4:00pm central time.
MONDAY, 7:32pm: Marc Stein of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that the Thunder will get involved in the deal with Ryan Gomes heading from Oklahoma City to Boston. This would allow OKC to get some wiggle room with regards to the luxury tax line and possibly set up another deal. The C’s, meanwhile, are expected to waive Gomes.
Stein adds (on Twitter) that there should be some second-round picks involved as well.
7:48am: The two sides have reached an agreement, according to Stein. It doesn’t sound like the trade will involve any additional pieces besides Bayless and Lee, which is a bit of a surprise. I wouldn’t have expected the Celtics to be able to move Lee for an expiring contract, since it was less than three weeks ago that a report suggested a lack of leaguewide interest in him. In any case, it appears as if the Grizzlies and C’s will finalize the deal at some point today.
SUNDAY, 4:29pm: The Celtics are in advanced discussions on a deal to acquire Jerryd Bayless from the Grizzlies, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The swap would involve Boston guard Courtney Lee.
In late December, the Grizzlies reportedly offered Bayless to the Lakers in return for Jodie Meeks. Memphis came into this season with high hopes, but their 15-18 start apparently has them wanting to make big changes. Bayless, 25, has averaged 8.0 PPG and 2.0 APG, numbers that are his lowest since his rookie year.
Lee was a client of Grizzlies CEO Jason Levien and front office exec Stu Lash when they were agents. The guard has already seen his name on Hoops Rumors quite a bit this season as he was linked to a proposed deal that would have sent him and Brandon Bass to Houston for Omer Asik. Of course, those talks fizzled. Swapping Bayless for Lee also figures to please Grizzlies exec John Hollinger as Lee boasts a career-best PER of 15.3 this season compared to Bayless’ 11.2, his worst total since 2008/09.
Lee, who appears headed to the fifth team of his professional career, finds himself stuck behind Avery Bradley in the rotation and only figures to see his role shrink further when Rajon Rondo comes back to action. While his efficiency rating has been strong, it’s happening off of a career-low 16.8 minutes per game.
Bayless is in his walk year and is earning just $3.135MM while Lee makes $5.23MM this year, $5.45 next year, and $5.675MM in his final year. It’s possible that Boston will include a draft pick in the trade if they’re getting another expiring contract or a solid talent along with Bayless in the swap since the Grizzlies are taking on a three-year deal in Lee. The Grizzlies are close to the luxury tax threshold and the Celtics are even closer, so that should play a factor in the proposed deal.
Assuming no trade exceptions are used in the swap, Memphis would have to add at least one more player for the salaries to match up, so the deal may expand beyond Bayless and Lee. However, Boston has a TPE from the Paul Pierce trade while the Grizzlies have one from the Rudy Gay swap, so it’s possible for the teams to make the move without including additional players.
Cavaliers Acquire Luol Deng For Bynum, Picks
The Cavaliers and Bulls have reached an agreement on a trade that will send Luol Deng to Cleveland in exchange for Andrew Bynum and draft picks, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (via Twitter). ESPN.com’s Brian Windhorst confirms that the Cavs have acquired Deng (Twitter link), while team owner Dan Gilbert also tweeted confirmation of the deal, welcoming Deng to Cleveland.
According to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link), the Bulls will receive a first-round pick and a pair of second-rounders from the Cavs in the swap, in addition to Bynum. The first-rounder will be the Kings’ 2014 pick, which is top-12 protected, while the second-rounders will be Portland’s 2015 and 2016 picks, according to an official release from the Cavs. The Bulls will also have the rights to swap first-rounders with the Cavs in 2015, but only if Cleveland’s pick doesn’t fall in the lottery, tweets Lloyd.
Although the Cavs will surrender a handful of draft picks in the deal, the move fills a giant need for the team, with Deng assuming a starting small forward role that has changed hands several times since LeBron James left for Miami in 2010. The Cavs also find a taker for Bynum, who had fallen out of favor in Cleveland, and was being shopped to the Lakers and Jazz, among other teams. So for now, Pau Gasol and Richard Jefferson will remain in L.A. and Utah, respectively, though both veterans are on expiring deals and could be involved in more trade rumors before February 20th’s deadline.
As for the Bulls, several recent reports had indicated that the team was reluctant to move Deng, still believing that he could be re-signed next summer. However, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), the 28-year-old turned down a three-year, $30MM extension offer from Chicago last week, which was a prelude to this trade. The deal gives the Bulls the opportunity to dip below the tax this season and to add future assets, as well as greatly increasing the odds that the club will land a prime spot in the 2014 draft lottery.
Assuming the Bulls officially waive Bynum on Tuesday, as ESPN Chicago’s Nick Friedell confirms they will (Twitter link), the team will shed $8.275MM in payroll by paying Bynum’s $6MM guarantee rather than Deng’s $14.275MM salary. According to ShamSports’ salary figures for Chicago, that would reduce team payroll to about $71.01MM, giving the club a little breathing room below the $71.748MM luxury tax line.
The long-term ramifications of the deal will be worth keeping an eye on over the next several months. While the Cavs’ dream scenario for the summer of 2014 is believed to revolve around bringing LeBron back to Cleveland, the team will now have a very viable alternative in Deng, with his Bird rights in hand heading into free agency.
For the Bulls, coach Tom Thibodeau may not be entirely on board with the trade, since he was considered Deng’s biggest fan. A December report also indicated that Derrick Rose wasn’t eager to go through a rebuilding process in Chicago, so it’ll be interesting to see how aggressively the team retools during the offseason, perhaps amnestying Carlos Boozer and bringing Nikola Mirotic stateside.
Meanwhile, Chicago now technically holds the rights to three 2014 first-rounders: Their own pick, the Bobcats’ pick, and the Kings’ pick. However, the latter two are heavily protected. Charlotte’s first-round pick is top-10 protected in 2014, top-eight protected in 2015, and unprotected in 2016. Sacramento’s first-rounder is top-10 protected in 2015, 2016, and 2017, after being top-12 protected this season. If the pick doesn’t change hands by 2017, Chicago would receive the Kings’ 2017 second-rounder instead.
If and when the Bulls waive Bynum, he’ll likely go unclaimed on waivers, meaning he’ll be eligible to sign with any team besides the Cavs as soon as this week. The Clippers and Heat are believed to be among his preferred destinations.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.