Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Metta World Peace Clears Waivers

July 14th, 2013 at 6:46pm CST by Zachary Links

6:46pm: World Peace is set to meet with Knicks officials in Vegas, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.

6:15pm: World Peace texted Brad Turner of the Los Angeles Times (on Twitter) and expressed that he is interested the Clippers, but has to "meet them first".

5:31pm: At least four teams have contacted MWP already, a source tells Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Twitter).

4:03pm: Metta World Peace has gone unclaimed on the amnesty waiver process and is now a free agent, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Teams had until 4pm central to claim the forward.

While World Peace was rumored to be eyeing a move to China, it now appears that he wasn't entirely serious about that notion. A source told Chris Broussard of ESPN.com earlier today that his top preference is to sign with the Knicks with the Clippers as a fairly distant second and China in third. The interest between MWP and the Knicks is believed to be mutual.

Pacers Sign Chris Copeland

July 14th, 2013 at 1:03pm CST by Zachary Links

Chris Copeland is officially a member of the Pacers after the Knicks did not match his offer sheet, the Pacers announced. Copeland signed a two-year, $6.2MM offer sheet with Indiana last week and the Knicks did not have the cap space to match. Still, three days had to pass before the agreement could become official.

There were several teams in play for the John Spencer client, including the Lakers, Bucks, Jazz, and Pelicans. The Nuggets and Cavs were also among the teams involved, though their level of interest was not quite known.

The Knicks probably would have liked to keep Copeland, but they had only $1.75MM left on their mini mid-level exception after giving a portion of it to Pablo Prigioni. Copeland averaged 8.7 PPG and shot nearly 48% from the floor in 15.4 minutes per night in 2012/13.

Before signing with the Knicks in 2012, Copeland played overseas with Okapi Aalstar in Belgium, TBB Trier in Germany, and Torrons Vicens in Spain. He also played one season in the NBA Developmental League with the Fort Worth Flyers and averaged 10.1 PPG.

Suns Sign Archie Goodwin

July 14th, 2013 at 12:13pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Suns announced they've signed No. 29 overall pick Archie Goodwin. He's in line for slightly more than $1MM, as our chart of likely first-round salaries shows. Phoenix acquired the rights to the No. 29 pick from the Thunder, via the Warriors, as part of a complex draft-night trade.

Goodwin was a highly ranked recruit entering his freshman year at Kentucky in 2012, though his lone season there was something of a disappointment. The shooting guard put up 14.1 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, but he shot just 26.6% from three-point range. He was widely seen as a second-round prospect as the draft approached, but he sneaked into the first-round, ensuring a guaranteed contract when he signed.

Last year's 29th overall pick, Marquis Teague, was the only first-rounder to receive less than 120% of his scale amount, so it's possible Goodwin is getting less than expected, but given that he was fairly quick to sign, I don't think that's the case.

Timberwolves Sign Gorgui Dieng

July 13th, 2013 at 10:09pm CST by Spencer Lund

The Timberwolves have signed Gorgui Dieng to a rookie-scale contract, according to the teams official PR Twitter account. (Twitter link). An official release will come shortly.

The rookie Dieng was selected 21st overall in June's draft as part of the deal sending 14th pick, Shabazz Muhammad, and Dieng to the Jazz in exchange for 9th pick, Trey Burke. Dieng's likely first year salary, according to our salary chart, will be $1,352,640.

The 6'10" 240 pound center from Senegal, was initially ruled ineligible to play for the Louisville Cardinals, but after they appealed the NCAA's decision, it was reversed and he helped them win the 2013 NCAA championship.

Hawks Match Bucks’ Offer Sheet For Teague

July 13th, 2013 at 8:11pm CST by Spencer Lund

8:11pm: The Hawks' President of Basketball Operations and GM Danny Ferry said in a press release tonight: "We are happy to bring Jeff back to our team. He has improved each year of his career and continues to get better." Ferry continues, "At 25, he’s already been a key contributor on a playoff team and we look forward to seeing him develop into even more of a leader on our team.”

Hawks' head coach Mike Budenholzer also added his thoughts on retaining the point guard: "I am very excited to have the opportunity to coach Jeff. He has a high level of talent. Keeping him with our group allows us to continue to build and improve going forward."

5:50pm: A source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that the Hawks' intention all along was to keep Teague, not sign-and-trade him to the Bucks (Twitter).

Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com tweets that a Bucks source tells him the Hawks have officially matched the Bucks' offer for Teague.

As Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer points out, via Twitter, Teague didn't want the Hawks to match the offer and was hoping to be reunited with his coach from the Hawks last season, Larry Drew.

The Racine Journal Times' Gery Woelfel tweets that it'll be interesting to see whether the Bucks still pull of the Brandon Jennings sign-and-trade now that Teague is going back to Atlanta.

5:34pm: According to the Atlanta Journal-Constituation's Chris Vivlamore (via Twitter), the Hawks will match the Bucks' four-year $32MM offer sheet for Jeff Teague.

Only a little earlier today, Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times had heard continued chatter the Hawks were not likely to match the Bucks' offer sheet and would let Teague, a restricted free agent, go to Milwaukee. But that appears to have been a mask for their true intentions to match the offer.

Teague had already expressed his desire to Hawks general manager Danny Ferry that he'd like to continue his career elsewhere, which Vivlamore mentions in an Atlanta Journal-Constitution update. Teague would have been reunited with his coach from the Hawks last season, Larry Drew, if the Hawks hadn't matched the offer.

Kings Sign Ben McLemore

July 13th, 2013 at 4:06pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings have signed Ben McLemore, having tweeted a picture of the No. 7 pick putting pen to paper on his rookie-scale contract. He's in line for a first-year salary close to $2.9MM, as our salary chart for first-round picks shows. That would be the standard 120% of his rookie-scale amount.

McLemore was a strong candidate to go as high as No. 2 much of this spring, and seemed to be in the mix for the No. 1 pick within 10 days of the draft. He slipped to Sacramento at No. 7, and it appears the Kings have big plans for him, having parted ways with Tyreke Evans, the incumbent starter at his position.

The shooting guard from Kansas selected Rodney Blackstock as an agent, and controversy surrounded McLemore's camp as the draft approached. McLemore has also shown inconsistency on the court, as Alex Lee of Hoops Rumors pointed out when he examined the two-guard's prospect profile. Still, as a shooter who draws comparisons to Ray Allen and Bradley Beal, there's plenty of upside.

Nuggets Hire Arturas Karnisovas As Assistant GM

July 13th, 2013 at 4:04pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Nuggets have reached an agreement with Rockets director of player personnel Arturas Karnisovas to bring him aboard as assistant GM in Denver, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports. Karnisovas will join new GM Tim Connelly with the Nuggets, who've overhauled their front office this summer. The Rockets, too, are enduring changes, having already lost executive vice president Sam Hinkie to the Sixers, where he's the new GM.

Karnisovas joined the Rockets as an international scout in 2008 after a playing career that gave him insight on the landscape in North America as well as overseas. The Lithuanian played collegiately for P.J. Carlesimo at Seton Hall before embarking on a professional career that saw him reach the Euroleague Final Four on three occasions.

The Nuggets lost GM Masai Ujiri to the Raptors this spring, while Pete D'Alessandro, Ujiri's top aide, became the new GM of the Kings. The team also replaced coach George Karl with Pacers assistant Brian Shaw.

Rockets Finalize Deal With Dwight Howard

July 13th, 2013 at 1:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Rockets made it official this afternoon, introducing Dwight Howard at a press conference and releasing a statement on their four-year maximum-salary deal with the big man. The move brings an end to nearly two years of questions about the future seven-time All-Star, who pushed for a trade from the Magic in 2012 and wound up quickly souring on his brief tenure with the Lakers. Throughout the process, Howard often appeared indecisive, and his back-and-forth on the night he made he decision to sign with Houston provided a fitting coda to the affair.

The contract is worth a total of $87,591,270 through 2016/17, more than $30MM less than Howard could have earned in a new deal with the Lakers, though the lack of a state income tax in Texas offsets that difference. The pact includes an option for the final season that will give Howard the choice of leaving in the summer of 2016. Agent Dan Fegan of Relativity Sports was Howard's primary representative as they picked the Rockets over the Lakers, Warriors, Mavericks and Hawks, the other four finalists in the mix for the most sought-after free agent of 2013.

"Dwight is the biggest free agent acquisition in the history of the Rockets," owner Leslie Alexander said as part of the team's statement. "His addition puts us in contention. This is good for the city and especially the fans. Fans are going to have a great time this year. This team will be tremendous fun to watch."

Howard's deal is the second maximum contract on the Rockets payroll, with James Harden's five-year extension kicking in this coming season. Together they'll make $34,214,428 this coming season, or about 58.3% of the salary cap. Still, the team appears to be in the hunt for a third star, reportedly dangling Jeremy Lin and Omer Asik in an effort to sign-and-trade for Josh Smith before he wound up with the Pistons. Morey has insisted he's not interested in letting them go, reiterating that point to reporters today (Twitter link). In any case, the Rockets will be building around Howard and Harden in the years to come.

Spurs Re-Sign Tiago Splitter

July 13th, 2013 at 1:02pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 13TH: The Spurs announced via press release that the deal has been finalized.

JULY 2ND, 3:49pm: The Spurs and Splitter have reached an agreement in principle, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein.

3:06pm: There won't be a fifth year in the Spurs' deal with Splitter, tweets Wojnarowski. However, the average annual salary will stay the same, meaning the agreement figures to be for four years and $36MM+.

2:44pm: The Spurs are putting the finishing touches on an agreement that will keep Tiago Splitter under contract for five more years, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The deal will be worth about $45MM, according to Wojnarowski. ESPN.com's Marc Stein first reported that the two sides had "ramped up" negotiations and were expecting to reach an agreement soon, with other potential suitors falling off.

According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the Trail Blazers figured to be one of those rival suitors for Splitter. With the threat of a significant offer sheet from Portland looming, the Spurs decided to make a preemptive strike, working out an agreement with Splitter before he had the opportunity to sign a lucrative offer from the Blazers.

As I noted in that earlier post, an agreement with Splitter may signal that the Spurs don't expect to use room under the cap this summer. With close to $42MM in salary commitments heading into July, a new deal for Splitter and a new contract for Manu Ginobili would use up a good chunk of San Antonio's potential space, even assuming Ginobili takes a significant pay cut. At that point, the team would likely just have the mid-level exception to spend on other free agents.

Splitter, 28, has improved his production in each of his three NBA seasons, playing a career-high 24.7 minutes per contest in 81 games in 2012/13. The Arn Tellem client averaged 10.3 PPG and 6.4 RPG while shooting 56.0% from the field as a frequent starter in the Spurs' frontcourt.

Bucks Sign O.J. Mayo

July 13th, 2013 at 11:18am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 13th: The Bucks officially announced the deal.

JULY 5th: The Bucks have reached agreement on a three-year, $24MM deal with O.J. Mayo, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The two sides have appeared close to a deal over the past two days.

Several teams have been in on Mayo since free agency began, including the Wolves and Clippers, both of whom appeared willing to engage in sign-and-trade scenarios with the Mavs. Instead, it's Milwaukee, with plenty of cap space following the departure of J.J. Redick, taking him on straight up. The Jazz, Blazers, Bobcats, and Bulls were all linked to the Landmark Sports Agency client as well.

Monta Ellis appears to be drawing significant interest from the Nuggets and other teams, so Mayo could step into a starting role in Milwaukee. Brandon Jennings is also a free agent, but he's restricted, so the Bucks can match offers from other teams for him. He figures to give the team some scoring punch to offset the production headed out the door. Mayo averaged 15.3 points and shot a career-best 40.7% from three-point range last season.