Celtics Release Shavlik Randolph
6:01pm: The team officially confirmed the move, via press release.
4:48pm: The Celtics have informed Shavlik Randolph that they won't be picking up his team option, according to Jeff Goodman of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Randolph's contract doesn't technically include a team option, but his 2013/14 salary is non-guaranteed, which amounts to the same thing. That salary was set to become fully guaranteed if the big man remained on Boston's roster beyond today.
Randolph, 29, inked a pair of 10-day deals with the Celtics in 2012/13 before signing with the team for the remainder of the season, as our 10-day contract tracker shows. The former Duke Blue Devil appeared in 16 contests for Boston, averaging 4.2 PPG and 4.4 RPG. He'll become an unrestricted free agent, assuming no team claims him on waivers.
By cutting Randolph, the Celtics will reduce their roster count to 15 players, the maximum amount a team can carry during the regular season.
Bucks Sign Nate Wolters
The Bucks have officially signed second-round pick Nate Wolters to a contract, the team announced today (Twitter link). Terms of the agreement aren't yet known, but the team has a good chunk of cap space left over after sending Brandon Jennings to Detroit, so Wolters could receive more than the minimum.
Wolters, 22, was part of a confusing series of draft-night trades that ultimately saw him picked 38th overall and dealt to the Bucks. The 6'5" guard spent four seasons at South Dakota State, averaging 22.3 PPG and 5.8 APG in 33 contests during his senior year. The Jared Karnes client will be part of an overhauled Milwaukee backcourt that includes Brandon Knight, O.J. Mayo, Gary Neal, and Luke Ridnour.
Mike Muscala Signs With Obradoiro
Second-round pick Mike Muscala has signed overseas with Blusens Monbus Obradoiro of the ACB League, according to the team. Muscala, who was drafted by the Hawks this June, confirmed the news himself, via Twitter.
Muscala, 22, was acquired by the Hawks as part of a draft-night deal that also landed the team Jared Cunningham and the No. 16 pick. The 44th overall pick played four seasons at Bucknell, averaging a double-double (18.7 PPG, 11.1 RPG) in his senior year.
On the heels of Erick Green's deal with Siena, Muscala becomes the latest American draftee to head overseas while his NBA team hangs on to his rights. Depending on the terms of Muscala's agreement, Atlanta should have the opportunity to bring him back stateside next summer.
Lakers Expected To Sign Marcus Landry
Marcus Landry is expected to sign a deal with the Lakers to attend training camp that contains a "small guarantee," tweets Ramona Shelburne of ESPN Los Angeles. While she adds that it's more of a camp invite than a contract, Shelburne says the team has legitimate interest in the former Wisconsin Badger.
Eric Pincus of the L.A. Times, who predicted the signing last week, tweets the deal is not yet official but he fully expects Landry to be in Lakers camp and to have a realistic shot at a roster spot. With Elias Harris in the fold and the not-yet-signed Ryan Kelly a near lock to make the roster, Pincus opines that Landry could make the team as the 14th man if the Lakers don't add a veteran forward (Twitter links here).
Marcus, the younger brother of Carl Landry, appeared in 18 games in the 2009/10 season with the Knicks and Celtics. He has since bounced between the D-League and Europe, and played with the Reno Bighorns of the D-League last season.
Mavericks Sign Devin Harris
4:11pm: Harris' new deal with the Mavs is a one-year pact worth the veteran's minimum, according to Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com.
2:57pm: The Mavericks have officially signed Devin Harris to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Harris had previously reached an agreement on a three-year, $9MM deal with Dallas, but the team nixed it after news broke that the veteran guard required toe surgery.
A new deal between Dallas and the Excel Sports Management client comes as no surprise, since the team still had interest in bringing him aboard even as the two sides mutually agreed to call off the initial arrangement. Owner Mark Cuban essentially confirmed a couple weeks ago that the Mavs and Harris both still expected to finalize a deal, albeit a restructured one.
The financial terms of the latest agreement are unclear, but it looks as if the Mavs only have the flexibility to offer minimum-salary contracts after using all of their cap space and most of their room exception. I speculated after the first agreement fell through that a two-year minimum salary contract with a player option for the second season might work for both sides.
Harris, who spent the first three and a half seasons with the Mavs, appeared in 58 games for the Hawks last year, averaging 9.9 PPG and 3.4 APG while spending time at both guard positions. Since Jose Calderon and Monta Ellis look like the probable starters in the Mavs' backcourt, Harris figures to be called on to play both the one and two again next season.
Wizards Sign John Wall To Five-Year Extension
4:03pm: The Wizards have officially signed Wall to an extension, the team announced in a press release. According to Lee (via Twitter), a press conference is planned for tomorrow.
"[Wall] is the cornerstone of our team, and we have clearly expressed our desire to build around him well before making it official by re-signing him today," owner Ted Leonsis said in a statement. "We are extremely confident in his leadership abilities and are excited to see the continued improvement of the team."
3:04pm: The Wizards and John Wall have officially reached agreement on a five-year maximum contract extension, reports Michael Lee of the Washington Post (via Twitter). The deal is expected to worth in the neighborhood of $80MM.
Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports first reported last week that the Wizards and Wall were closing in on an agreement for a max extension, while other reporters, including Lee, added that the deal would likely be finalized this week. ESPN.com's Marc Stein noted yesterday that the Wizards hoped to hold a press conference on August 1st, and that timetable still appears to be on track, with J. Michael of CSNWashington.com tweeting that the team will make the official announcement tomorrow.
Agreeing to a five-year contract, rather than a four-year pact, will make Wall the Wizards' designated player, meaning the team can't sign any of their current players, such as Bradley Beal or Otto Porter, to a five-year extension when their rookie contracts expire. It will also make Wall the only NBA player under team control through 2019. The exact amount the Dan Fegan client will earn won't be known until next summer, but James Harden's similar max deal is worth about $78.78MM. So assuming the maximum salary increases a little again next July, $80MM is a reasonable estimate for Wall.
Wall, 2010's first overall pick, hasn't yet developed into the superstar many were expecting, but had his best run as a pro during the second half of 2012/13. In his final 26 games of the season, the 22-year-old averaged 22.7 PPG, 7.8 APG, and 4.8 RPG to go along with shooting percentages of .465/.344/.796. While the deal certainly isn't without risk, it's a risk the Wizards believe they have to take, as Lee wrote earlier today.
With Emeka Okafor's and Trevor Ariza's contracts set to expire next summer, the team will still maintain some cap flexibility even as Wall's new deal takes effect. If Wall earns a salary in the ballpark of $14MM in the first year of his extension, the Wizards should still only have a little over $50MM on their books for 2014/15.
Although Wall is set to become the first player from the 2010 draft class to ink a long-term extension, there are still plenty of eligible candidates. DeMarcus Cousins, Paul George, Eric Bledsoe, Derrick Favors, and Larry Sanders are among the other players expected to engage in extension talks this offseason, if they haven't already.
Rockets Sign Jordan Henriquez
The Rockets officially signed undrafted rookie Jordan Henriquez to a contract earlier this month, according to RealGM.com. Although the Rockets never officially announced the move, Henriquez now shows up on both ShamSports' and HoopsWorld's Rockets salary pages. He also tweeted earlier in July that he's looking forward to playing with James Harden in training camp.
Henriquez, 23, averaged 5.0 PPG and 5.0 RPG during his senior year at Kansas State before earning a spot on Houston's Summer League roster. The 6'11" big man is on a three-year deal, but it's fully non-guaranteed. As such, it's unlikely that he'll earn a spot on the roster, particularly since the Rockets have already signed or reached agreements with 17 players, exceeding the regular-season roster limit. Teams can carry up to 20 players in the offseason.
NBA teams are also allowed to hold D-League rights to up to three players who are on the roster in training camp. So the Rockets could ultimately end up cutting Henriquez from the NBA team in the fall, but adding him to the Rio Grande Valley Vipers' roster.
DaJuan Summers To Sign With Ukrainian Team
After being released by the Clippers earlier this month, DaJuan Summers appears to be heading overseas for the coming season. Emiliano Carchia of Sportando reports that Summers is expected to sign with Ukraine's Budivelnyk Kyiv.
Summers, 25, appeared in just a pair of contests for the Clippers last season. The BDA Sports client has previously spent time with the Pistons and Pelicans, averaging 3.3 PPG in 83 career games. His deal with the Clips included a non-guaranteed salary for 2013/14, but Los Angeles avoided taking a cap hit for that amount by releasing him before his guarantee date.
While he has yet to make a real impact at the NBA level, Summers played well in 29 games for the D-League's Maine Red Claws last season, averaging 18.0 PPG and 7.6 RPG in 33.1 minutes per contest.
Raptors Reach Agreement With Daye
The Raptors have reached agreement on a two-year deal worth $2MM with free agent forward Austin Daye, according to a tweet from Yahoo! NBA reporter Adrian Wojnarowski.
The 25-year-old has been a disappointment since entering the league as the 15th overall pick four years ago, averaging 5.6PPG on just 41% shooting from the floor. Last season, Daye was included as a throw-in piece in the three-team Rudy Gay trade, sending him from the Pistons to the Grizzlies. He averaged 4.5PPG in 55 total games last season.
Bucks Sign Gary Neal
JULY 30TH, 4:05pm: The Bucks have officially signed Neal, the team announced today (Twitter link).
JULY 27TH, 4:31pm: Bonuses could push the value of Neal's contract to $7MM, TNT's David Aldridge reports (on Twitter).
3:42pm: Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com tweets that the full value of the deal is $6.5MM (hat tip to RealGM.com), which makes a little more sense, considering San Antonio's reluctance to re-sign Neal. If Arnovitz is correct, the Bucks will have to use cap room rather than their room exception.
2:53pm: The Bucks have agreed to sign Gary Neal to a two-year contract worth more than $3MM, a source tells Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link). Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier today that the sides were nearing a deal. It appears that the Spurs withdrew their qualifying offer to Neal, so that allows Milwaukee to sign the combo guard outright without having to wait three days to find out whether the Spurs match. Neal's contract will be fully guaranteed, USA Today's Jeff Zillgitt tweets.
The David Falk client was reportedly likely to re-sign with the Spurs at one point this month, but a deal with San Antonio never materialized. The Bucks were one of four teams with interest in Neal, who was receiving offers that the Spurs were reluctant to match, prompting GM R.C. Buford and company to sign Marco Belinelli.
The Bucks can absorb Neal's contract into either their room exception, which allows a starting salary of $2.652MM, or their plentiful cap space. Bringing Neal aboard doesn't figure to have much affect on the team's negotiations with Brandon Jennings, since Milwaukee can go over the cap to re-sign him.