Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Bulls Re-Sign Nazr Mohammed To One-Year Deal

July 11th, 2013 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 11TH: The Bulls have officially confirmed their deal with Mohammed, announcing the move in a press release.

JULY 2ND: The Bulls and Nazr Mohammed have reached a verbal agreement on a one-year deal that will bring Mohammed back to Chicago, according to Aggrey Sam of CSNChicago.com (via Twitter). Sam reports that the new contract for the Excel Sports client is worth the veteran's minimum, which will be $1,399,507.

After signing the same one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Bulls last summer, Mohammed appeared in 63 games for the club, averaging 2.6 PPG and 3.1 RPG in 11.0 minutes per contest. Of all the Bulls' free agents this summer, Mohammed always appeared to be the most likely to return to Chicago for another season.

Now that they have an agreement in place with Mohammed, the Bulls have filled two spots on their bench through free agency. The team also agreed to terms on a two-year contract with Mike Dunleavy yesterday.

Mavericks Sign Gal Mekel

July 11th, 2013 at 11:12am CST by Luke Adams

JULY 11TH: The Mavericks have officially signed Mekel, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 1ST: The Mavericks have reached a verbal agreement on a multiyear deal with Israeli point guard Gal Mekel, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein. Once the July moratorium is lifted, Mekel will sign a guaranteed minimum-salary contract with the Mavs, according to Stein. Mark Deeks of ShamSports.com reports (via Twitter) that the pact will be for three years.

Stein reported a week ago that the Mavs were leading the charge among the NBA teams interested in Mekel, with the Raptors, Bucks, Hawks, Pacers, Grizzlies, and Jazz also registering some level of interest. At the time, Stein wrote that the 25-year-old had begun to convince NBA talent evaluators that he could immediately produce as a rotation player, especially after Pablo Prigioni successfully made the leap to the Association last season after a career overseas.

Mekel, a former Wichita State guard, averaged 13.3 PPG and 5.4 APG in Israel in 2012/13, leading Maccabi Haifa to a championship and earning league MVP honors for the second time in the last four years. For the Mavs, agreeing to add Mekel doesn't get in the way of a pursuit of Dwight Howard, since the point guard will be signing for the minimum.

Chris Copeland Signs Pacers’ Offer Sheet

July 11th, 2013 at 10:22am CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 11TH, 10:22am: Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that Copeland officially signed his offer sheet with the Pacers yesterday. I assume that even though the Knicks can't legally match the offer, the three-day period still must expire before Copeland formally becomes a Pacer.

JULY 5TH, 9:05pm: The precise figure of Copeland's two year deal is close to $6.2MM, a source tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com, who also hears that no other team offered nearly as much as the Pacers (Twitter link).

7:27pm: The deal is fully guaranteed, Begley also tweets. Presumably, the Pacers are using a portion of their mid-level to get the deal done.

7:13pm: The deal is a two-year agreement worth $6MM, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, so the Knicks can't match.

7:00pm: The Pacers and Chris Copeland are finalizing an agreement on a two-year deal, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Since he's a restricted free agent, the Knicks will have three days to match once the deal becomes final next week, following the end of the league's July Moratorium. However, since the Knicks only have about $1.75MM left on their mini mid-level exception after committing a portion of it to Pablo Prigioni, the Pacers have the ability to make Copeland an offer New York can't match.

There were several teams in play for the John Spencer client. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com today added the Grizzlies to the list of suitors for Copeland, tweeting that the Lakers, Bucks, Jazz, and Pelicans all remained in the mix along with the Pacers. The Nuggets and Cavs were also among the teams involved, Spencer tells Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (Twitter link).

Trail Blazers Sign Earl Watson

July 10th, 2013 at 8:34pm CST by Spencer Lund

JULY 10TH: The Blazers have officially signed Watson, the team announced today in a press release.

JULY 6TH: Citing agent Mark Bartelstein, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports that the Trail Blazers have agreed to terms for a one-year veteran's minimum deal with unrestricted free agent Earl Watson (Twitter links).

Watson averaged 2.0 PPG and 4.0 APG in 17.3 MPG during 48 contests with the Jazz last year. He'll make $1.4MM in the one-year deal. Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune adds (Twitter) that Watson was suffering from a sports hernia even after coming back from knee surgery during the first part of the 2012/13 season.

Wolves To Deal Luke Ridnour To Bucks

July 10th, 2013 at 7:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

10:54pm: Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times tweets that a Ridnour-Ekpe Udoh swap, which had been rumored around draft time, could once again materialize. I'd assume that would happen within the framework of this deal, though I'm not sure what that would accomplish for Minnesota, since Udoh's $4,469,548 salary is larger than Ridnour's.

7:41pm: The Wolves have reached an agreement with the Bucks to deal point guard Luke Ridnour to Milwaukee in an arrangement that will allow Minnesota the room it needs to finalize its pact with Corey Brewer, reports Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune. No salary will head from the Bucks to the Wolves in the trade, so presumably there will be draft picks and/or cash headed to Minnesota.

Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier today that the teams were discussing the swap, as the Wolves sought to clear room to bring aboard Brewer along with the rest of their free agent haul. Ridnour, like J.J. Barea, was frequently mentioned in trade rumors over the past few weeks as Minnesota sought to clear its logjam at point guard.

Milwaukee's acquisition of Ridnour gives the team a backup for either incumbent point guard Brandon Jennings, or Jeff Teague, whom the Bucks have coveted. Ridnour is set to make $4.32MM in 2013/14, the final season of his contract.

Kings Form D-League Alliance With Reno Bighorns

July 10th, 2013 at 7:28pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Kings will take over the basketball operations of the D-League's Reno Bighorns for the next two seasons, tweets Tony Bizjak of the Sacramento Bee. The Kings attempted to buy the Bighorns outright, and though owner Vivek Ranadive fell short of that goal, Sacramento will have the option to purchase the club at a later point, according to Bizjak (Twitter link).

The deal forms the latest hybrid partnership between an NBA club and its D-League affiliate. The Kings will run the basketball operations for the Bighorns, while local ownership in Reno will have control over the business side. The Kings will be the only NBA team affiliated with the Bighorns, after having to share the club with the Grizzlies and Jazz last year.

The Kings join the Heat (Sioux Falls Skyforce), Nets (Springfield Armor), Celtics (Maine Red Claws), Rockets (Rio Grande Valley Vipers), Knicks (Erie BayHawks) and Trail Blazers (Idaho Stampede) as the seventh NBA team to engage in a hybrid partnership. A handful of other NBA teams own their D-League affiliates outright.

Pelicans, Kings, Blazers Agree To Three-Way Deal

July 10th, 2013 at 7:15pm CST by Luke Adams

7:15pm: The Kings press release on the deal has Sacramento acquiring Vasquez from the Pelicans in exchange for Evans. The Kings also say they wind up with a 2016 second-round pick and future second-round considerations, presumably from the Blazers.

6:43pm: The Blazers announced their part, with Lopez and Harris coming from the Pelicans in exchange for Jeff Withey, future second-round draft considerations, and cash.

JULY 10TH, 6:12pm: The Pelicans have confirmed their end of the trade, via press release. They acquire Evans and Withey, send Lopez and Harris to the Blazers, and ship Vasquez to the Kings.

JULY 4TH, 6:04pm: Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports that Portland will send Jeff Withey to the Pelicans and a future second round pick to the Kings as part of the three-team deal (Twitter links).

4:44pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports (via Twitter) that Terrel Harris, who is on a non-guaranteed contract, will also be sent to the Blazers in the deal. Meanwhile, Portland will pay Lopez's 15% trade kicker, which will be worth about $1.57MM in total, spread equally across the next two seasons. Stein adds that Sacramento will be receiving two second-round picks from the Blazers, rather than one.

4:39pm: The Pelicans will receive cash and future draft picks from the Blazers in the deal, tweets John Reid of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Sam Amick of USA Today adds (via Twitter) that the Kings will also receive a future second-rounder from Portland.

3:55pm: The Pelicans, Kings, and Trail Blazers have verbally agreed to a three-way deal that will make Tyreke Evans a Pelican, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). The deal will send Evans to the Pelicans, Robin Lopez to the Trail Blazers, and Greivis Vasquez to the Kings, with the Blazers sending out picks and cash, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

Evans had been preparing to sign a four-year, $44MM offer sheet with New Orleans, so rather than lose him for nothing, the Kings decided to negotiate a sign-and-trade deal. The Pelicans had been motivated to move Lopez in order to make room under the cap for their offer to Evans, so involving the two players in the same deal made sense. Meanwhile, with New Orleans putting together a backcourt that will feature Evans, Jrue Holiday, and Eric Gordon, Vasquez was the odd man out, making him expendable as well.

Sacramento agreed to complete the three-way deal with the Blazers and Pelicans after Jose Calderon passed on an opportunity to sign with the team. According to Wojnarowski, the Kings wanted to sign Calderon and flip Vasquez to another team, but the Spaniard decided he didn't want to be part of a full-blown rebuild in Sacramento. Calderon will continue to negotiate with other teams, including the Pistons, tweets Wojnarowski.

As for the Pelicans, they get their man in Evans and figure to use him off the bench in a Manu Ginobili-type role, behind a starting backcourt of Holiday and Gordon. It's not clear where the cash and picks coming from the Blazers are headed, but I would guess the Pelicans will acquire something from Portland, since New Orleans is sending out multiple players in the move.

For Sacramento, the deal gives the team the opportunity to regain some value for Evans, and Vasquez's modest $2.15MM salary will allow the club to retain plenty of cap space to pursue other players. The Kings previously withdrew a four-year offer for Andre Iguodala, but should still have the flexibility to pursue Iguodala again, if they so choose. Sacramento may also get in on those draft and cash considerations from Portland, though we'll have to wait for further word.

Meanwhile, the Blazers continue to make use of their summer cap space by making trades rather than signing free agents, as Lopez will be absorbed using the team's room under the cap. Portland also agreed to acquire Thomas Robinson from the Rockets without including any outgoing salary. At the moment, only $500K of Lopez's 2013/14 salary is guaranteed, but the next two years of his contract will become guaranteed this weekend, since he won't be waived by tomorrow. He'll earn $5.12MM next season and $5.34MM in '14/15.

The three teams will be able to finalize the transaction when the July moratorium lifts next Wednesday.

Knicks Sign Tim Hardaway Jr., C.J. Leslie

July 10th, 2013 at 6:47pm CST by Luke Adams

6:47pm: Deeks corrects his earlier report, and confirms that Leslie's deal isn't fully guaranteed (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 6:01pm: Leslie's two-year deal is fully guaranteed for both seasons, tweets Mark Deeks of ShamSports, contradicting earlier word that the pact only included a partial guarantee.

MONDAY, 2:37pm: The Knicks have officially announced Hardaway's signing and also formally announced the signing of undrafted free agent C.J. Leslie (Twitter links). We had initially heard a day after the draft that the Knicks had agreed to sign Leslie, who will be in line for the rookie minimum. He'll also have a partial guarantee on his deal, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday.

2:05pm: The Knicks have reached a contract agreement with first-round pick Tim Hardaway Jr., agent Mark Bartelstein tells Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).

Hardaway was the 24th overall pick in last month's draft, meaning he was the first of this year's draftees with a rookie-scale amount below $1MM. Still, as our chart of rookie salaries shows, Hardaway will earn 120% of that $997,300 cap hold, good for a first-year salary worth close to $1.2MM.

Bulls Release Richard Hamilton

July 10th, 2013 at 6:34pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 10TH: The Bulls have waived Hamilton, tweets Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald.

JULY 2ND: With Richard Hamilton's full salary for 2013/14 set to become guaranteed if he's not waived on or before July 10th, the Bulls will indeed release him before that happens, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. By cutting Hamilton, the Bulls will save $4MM, as only $1MM of his $5MM salary is guaranteed.

The move comes as no surprise, as the Bulls have shopped Hamilton multiple times in the past in the hopes of shedding his contract. With Chicago projected to be in luxury-tax territory next season, getting out from under $4MM of Hamilton's salary will actually save the Bulls significantly more than that in tax payments.

Mike Dunleavy figures to get not only some of the money the Bulls will save by cutting Hamilton, but also many of the minutes that the veteran guard would have played. Dunleavy agreed to a two-year contract likely worth the mini mid-level exception with the Bulls yesterday.

As Berger tweets, if he can be had for a reduced salary, Hamilton still represents a decent option for a contending team. Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link) expects the Knicks to at least kick the tires on the veteran shooting guard, who shares an agent (Leon Rose) with Carmelo Anthony.

Clippers Re-Sign Matt Barnes

July 10th, 2013 at 5:02pm CST by Luke Adams

JULY 10TH: The Clippers have officially finalized the signing of Barnes, per a team release.

JULY 5TH: Matt Barnes is heading back to the Clippers, as Barnes himself announced today on Twitter. According to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), Barnes has reached a three-year contract agreement to remain in Los Angeles.

The deal will be in the $11-12MM range, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), which means the Clippers appear to be using a portion of their mid-level exception to get it done. Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com notes (via Twitter) that the third year won't be guaranteed, while Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter) pegs the value at $9-11MM. The difference between Spears' and Turner's figures may be related to the amount of guaranteed money.

Barnes was linked to a ton of teams during free agency, including the Mavericks, Nuggets, Nets, Knicks, Trail Blazers, Timberwolves, and Pelicans. However, he always seemed to be a good bet to stick in Los Angeles with either the Clippers or Lakers. A report earlier today suggested he would likely sign with one of those two L.A. teams for an amount around the mini mid-level.

Barnes, an Aaron Goodwin client, outperformed his minimum-salary contract with the Clippers in 2012/13, averaging 10.3 PPG and recording a 15.5 PER. While his new salary will take up a portion of the Clippers' MLE, the team isn't done looking for more help, according to Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.com. As Markazi tweets, L.A. still has room to sign another veteran for more than the minimum, though the player would have to come fairly cheap.