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International Notes: Celtics, Calathes, Goudelock

July 26th, 2013 at 2:56pm CST by Luke Adams

After publishing a pair of posts yesterday rounding up the latest international updates on current, past, or future NBA players, we have a few more items of note today, including a follow-up on yesterday's Colton Iverson report. Here are this afternoon's international notes:

There were conflicting reports yesterday on whether or not Iverson was heading overseas, but Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes that the Celtics second-rounder has agreed to a deal with Besiktas of the Turkish League. It's a two-year contract with an NBA out after the first season, says Washburn.
According to a report from RSport.ru (English translation via Sportando), Nick Calathes has informed Lokomotiv Kuban that he would like to come to the NBA for the 2013/14 season. The Russian club still hopes to hang on to Calathes, who would need to be bought out of his deal in order to join the Grizzlies.
Ex-Laker Andrew Goudelock has signed a one-year contract with Russian club Unics Kazan, the team announced today (Twitter link). Goudelock was last season's D-League MVP and played well for the Bulls in this year's Summer League, so it seemed as if there would have been NBA opportunities available for him. However, according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (via Twitter), Goudelock had yet to receive a guaranteed contract offer from an NBA team, prompting him to head overseas.

Grizzlies Sign Jamaal Franklin

July 26th, 2013 at 12:07pm CST by Zachary Links

FRIDAY, 12:07pm: The Grizzlies have officially signed Franklin, the team announced today in a press release.

THURSDAY, 4:12pm: The Grizzlies have reached agreement with Jamaal Franklin on a three-year deal, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (on Twitter). The third year of the deal will be a team option.

Memphis drafted the former San Diego State swingman with the 41st overall pick last month. The 22-year-old also drew interest from the Bulls, Knicks, Clippers, and Hawks and was thought by some to be a late-first round talent. In his final collegiate season, Franklin averaged 17 PPG, 9.5 RPG, and 3.3 APG.

Mavericks Re-Sign Bernard James

July 26th, 2013 at 11:28am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 26TH: The Mavericks have officially re-signed James, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 22ND: Having cleared waivers yesterday after being released by the Mavericks last week, Bernard James is expected to return to Dallas, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com).

The Mavericks had previously pushed back James' contract guarantee date in hopes of keeping him on the roster, but ultimately needed to waive him to clear about $300K in cap room to help sign Monta Ellis. James had been on a minimum-salary ($789K) contract, whereas an empty roster spot only has a cap hold of about $490K.

When Ellis signs, the path will be clear for the Mavs to re-sign James to another minimum-salary deal, since teams are permitted to go over the cap for minimum deals. According to Stein, the two sides have an agreement in principle to complete a new contract once Ellis officially inks his deal.

Bucks Request Waivers On Gustavo Ayon

July 25th, 2013 at 6:22pm CST by Ryan Raroque

According to the Bucks' PR Twitter account, the team has requested waivers on center Gustavo Ayon. Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter) notes that the 28-year-old big man would have been on the books for a guaranteed $1.5MM next season had he not been waived by today's deadline.

Ayon played 12 games for the Bucks last season after being dealt by the Magic, averaging 3.6 PPG, 3.7 RPG, and about 13 MPG in 55 total games played last year. Though Milwaukee had exercised their team option on him last month, it was seen more as a postponement on a decision regarding his contract. The Mexican native participated in three summer league games with the Bucks in Las Vegas earlier this month, averaging 6.0 PPG and 5.3 RPG in 19.7 MPG.

Mavericks Re-Sign Brandan Wright

July 25th, 2013 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 25th: The Mavs confirmed the move via press release.

JULY 23rd: The Mavericks and Brandan Wright have reached an agreement on a new two-year deal for the big man, according to agent Jim Tanner. Tanner tells TNT's David Aldridge (Twitter link) that the two-year contract for his client will be worth a guaranteed $10MM, with an additional $1.1MM in incentives.

Wright, 25, had long been expected to return to the Mavs, with Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com reporting earlier in the month that the two sides were discussing a possible two-year deal worth in the neighborhood of $4MM annually. When owner Mark Cuban talked about the club's offseason last week, he spoke as if Wright were already under contract.

In all likelihood, the Mavs simply had to keep Wright's small ($884,293) cap hold on the books until after the Monta Ellis signing was finalized, which happened today. With Wright's Early Bird rights in hand, the team can go over the cap to re-sign him.

Wright set career-highs in a number of categories last season for the Mavs, including PPG (8.5), RPG (4.1), and games played (64). The former eighth overall pick has a career PER of 19.7, having exhibited the ability to produce efficiently when he stays healthy.

Hawks Sign Pero Antic

July 25th, 2013 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Hawks announced that they have signed Macedonian forward/center Pero Antic. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Antic's agent tipped the signing yesterday on his Twitter and indicated that it was a one-year deal with an option for year two. The Hawks still appear to have some cap space, so Antic could be getting more than the minimum salary.

Antic helped lead Greek powerhouse Olympiacos to back-to-back Euroleague titles in 2012 and 2013 and has also captured championships in Serbia, Russia, and Bulgaria. In 31 Euroleague contests in 2012/13, Antic averaged 6.0 PPG and 3.5 RPG in 17.5 minutes of action.

The 30-year-old is the captain of the Macedonian National Team, helping the team to the semifinals of EuroBasket 2011 in Lithuania. He averaged 11.5 points and 8.8 rebounds over 11 games in that year's tournament, while collecting three double-doubles.

Magic Sign Ronnie Price

July 25th, 2013 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 25th, 2:03pm: The Magic confirmed the signing via press release.

JULY 16th, 8:30pm: The deal will be for one year at the veteran's minimum and is fully guaranteed, tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.

4:00pm: Price will receive the veteran's minimum, according to Haynes (via Twitter). It's not clear yet whether the contract will be for one year or multiple seasons.

1:41pm: Ronnie Price and the Magic have reached an agreement on a contract, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com (via Twitter). Price is represented by Excel Sports, as our agency database shows.

Last week, a report surfaced suggesting that the Magic were in the market for depth at point guard and center. While Victor Oladipo and E'Twaun Moore could see some time at the point behind Jameer Nelson, Price is a more traditional fit at the position.

Price, 30, signed a one-year deal with the Trail Blazers last summer, but only appeared in 39 games with the team, averaging 2.7 PPG and 1.9 APG. The eight-year veteran was released by Portland at the trade deadline when the team acquired Eric Maynor to replace him as Damian Lillard's primary backup.

The terms of Price's agreement aren't yet known, but he signed for the veteran's minimum last year, and didn't exactly show he deserved more than that, so I'd expect another minimum-salary deal this time around.

Knicks Re-Sign Kenyon Martin

July 25th, 2013 at 12:22pm CST by Chuck Myron

THURSDAY, 12:22pm: The Knicks have officially re-signed Martin, the team announced today (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 3:32pm: Martin will make the minimum on a one-year deal, Wojnarowski reports.

2:51pm: Kenyon Martin and the Knicks have reached an agreement that will see the veteran big man return to the team, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Multiple reports over the last ten days have indicated the team and agent Andy Miller were moving toward a pact. Martin is eligible to sign for up to 120% of the minimum salary via Non-Bird rights.

Martin sat out the first half of last season hoping for a deal worth the mini mid-level, but settled for a pair of 10-day contracts from the Knicks, who followed in February with a deal for the rest of the season. The 35-year-old paid dividends, averaging 7.2 points and 5.3 rebounds in 23.9 minutes per game during 18 regular season contests, 11 of them starts. Those numbers were only down slightly in the playoffs, when he mostly appeared off the bench.

The former No. 1 overall pick may have his greatest influence on defense, as Grantland's Zach Lowe points out via Twitter. The Lakers, Clippers, Spurs and Nets all reportedly had interest as free agency began, with San Antonio perhaps the most aggressive suitor. Martin appeared to have his eyes on the Lakers at one point, but it became increasingly apparent that a return to New York was in the offing.

International Notes: Kleiza, Samuels, Jenkins

July 25th, 2013 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

So far this offseason, we haven't seen many NBA free agents sign with teams overseas, but that could change in the coming weeks, as NBA roster spots dry up. In many cases, a player's best chance at guaranteed money could come in Europe. Here are the latest updates and rumors on NBA players signing overseas:

Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports confirms the Kleiza news below, tweeting that the ex-Raptors has signed a two-year contract with Fenerbahce Ulker to become one of the highest-paid players in Europe.

Earlier updates:

According to various reports out of Turkey, Linas Kleiza and Fenerbahce Ulker have reached an agreement in principle on a lucrative two-year contract, as Uğur Türker of EuroBasket.com tweets. Kleiza was amnestied by the Raptors earlier this month, with reports at the time suggesting he was likely to return overseas.
Former Cavs big man Samardo Samuels has officially reached an agreement with Italy's Olimpia Milano, the team announced on its website. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando provides an English translation of the club's press release.
Carchia also reports that former Warrior and Sixer Charles Jenkins has agreed to terms with Red Star of Belgrade. Jenkins' agent, Misko Raznatovic, tweets that his client has yet to sign anything, but according to Carchia's source, the deal is done.

Mike Miller To Sign With Grizzlies

July 24th, 2013 at 5:30pm CST by Michael Pina

Mike Miller has informed the Grizzlies that he will sign with them, according to a tweet from ESPN.com's Marc Stein.