Rockets Sign Reggie Williams
JULY 19TH, 11:01am: The Rockets have officially signed Williams, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 10TH, 8:34pm: The second year of Williams' deal isn't a team option, but is instead non-guaranteed, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. The first year is only 50% guaranteed, Feigen adds (Twitter link).
6:20pm: The Rockets have landed another outside shooter, agreeing to terms with Reggie Williams on a two-year pact worth the minimum salary, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The second year will be a team option, Stein says.
Williams, a four-year veteran, has seen his numbers decline each season after a rookie year in which he notched 15.2 points per game in a 24-game stint with the Warriors. He put up only 3.7 PPG this past season with the Bobcats, and shot just 30.6% from behind the arc, well off his mark of 42.3% from three-point range in 2010/11. He's still a 37.1% shooter for his career, and the Rockets will hope that he regains his touch to give defenses another long-range threat to worry about.
The Interperformances agency client will take a significant paycut from the $2,612,500 he earned in 2012/13. The four-year veteran's minimum will be $947,907 this coming season. Houston will likely use the minimum-salary exception, so his signing won't affect the team's pursuit of other free agents.
Pistons Sign Caldwell-Pope, Mitchell
The Pistons have officially locked up rookies Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Tony Mitchell, the team announced today (Twitter link). Caldwell-Pope will receive a standard rookie-scale contract, while the terms of Mitchell's agreement aren't yet known.
As our chart of salaries for first-rounders shows, Caldwell-Pope, the eighth overall pick last month, will likely receive a 2013/14 salary of about $2.65MM. Mitchell, a North Texas product who is not to be confused by the former Alabama player of the same name, may receive a minimum-salary deal. However, the Pistons still appear to have some cap space, plus their room exception, so it's also possible that Mitchell receives a salary that exceeds the minimum.
For the complete breakdown of which of this year's draft picks have signed so far, check out our list here. As that list shows, the Pistons' third pick, Peyton Siva, remains unsigned. According to Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News (via Twitter), the team has yet to make a decision on Siva, who may be the odd man out on a roster that already features 15 players.
Cavaliers Waive Kevin Jones, Chris Quinn
The Cavaliers have shed two non-guaranteed contracts from their books, waiving Kevin Jones and Chris Quinn, according to a team release. The moves coincide with the team's introduction of Andrew Bynum, so it appears a little extra cap space was required to squeeze in Bynum's salary.
Jones, 23, appeared in 32 contests with the Cavs last season, averaging 3.0 PPG and 2.4 RPG. He also played 12 games for the team's D-League affiliate, recording an impressive 22.4 PPG and 11.2 RPG for the Canton Charge. Quinn's stint with the Cavs was briefer, as he appeared in just seven games for the club. Both players' contracts were fully non-guaranteed, and weren't set to become guaranteed until January.
Jones' impressive D-League numbers could result in him drawing some interest around the NBA, at least as a training camp invitee. Meanwhile, Quinn is reportedly receiving some attention from foreign teams, according to a Thursday report. Both Jones and Quinn suffered concussions during Summer League action, so they may need to get healthy first before signing new deals anywhere.
Raptors Buy Out Marcus Camby
THURSDAY, 6:06pm: The Raptors and Camby have completed the buyout, tweets Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com. Begley says Camby is a free agent now, but the veteran center will have to clear waivers first. Camby is hoping to play two more years before getting into coaching, as Zwerling reported today.
WEDNESDAY, 11:05pm: Camby and the Raptors are still working on the details of the buyout, which has not yet been finalized, reports Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Still, an agreement remains in place and the parting of ways should be official by the end of the week, Zwerling writes. The Heat, Rockets, Bulls and Clippers are the front-runners to sign Camby once he clears waivers and becomes a free agent, Zwerling hears.
2:05pm: The Raptors have agreed to a buyout with Marcus Camby and have released him, the team formally announced today (Twitter link). Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reported last night that Toronto was expected to reach a buyout agreement with Camby.
Camby, 39, was sent back to Toronto, where he started his NBA career, in the trade that saw the Knicks acquire Andrea Bargnani. Not long after the move was agreed upon, the veteran big man expressed some unhappiness with being traded to a non-contender, and Marc Berman of the New York Post reported shortly thereafter that Camby had asked to be traded or bought out.
Camby was set to earn $4.38MM in 2013/14 and was on the books for a $4.18MM salary the following season, though only about $1.03MM of that second year was guaranteed. I would guess that Camby probably agreed to give up that second-year guarantee in his negotiations with the Raptors, though the terms of the buyout aren't known. The move also reduces the cap hit for Toronto, since the club can apply the stretch provision to Camby's deal.
Assuming Camby clears waivers, which seems like a safe bet, he'll be free to sign with any team except the Knicks, who are ineligible to re-add him until next July. However, according to Spears, other contenders like the Clippers, Bulls, and Rockets could have some interest.
Kings Sign Ray McCallum
5:58pm: Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee hears McCallum received a guaranteed three-year contract (Twitter link).
5:50pm: The Kings have officially signed Ray McCallum, the 36th pick in last month's draft, the team announced in a press release. Financial terms weren't disclosed, but it's probably a partially guaranteed multiyear deal, based on what we've seen a few other second-rounders sign for this year. It's unlikely he'll make much more than the minimum salary.
McCallum, a 6'2" point guard out of the University of Detroit, will join fellow rookie Ben McLemore on the Kings this season. The steady floor general figures to have an uphill battle for minutes, with veteran Greivis Vasquez set to start and Isaiah Thomas and Jimmer Fredette also on the roster.
The 22-year-old McCallum averaged 18.7 points, 4.5 assists and 2.1 turnovers per game this past season at Detroit. He's not a long-distance shooter, having drained just 32.3% of his three-point looks last year, but he hit the boards for 5.1 rebounds per contest.
Andrew Bynum Signs With Cavs
JULY 18TH: Bynum has officially signed his contract, the team announced. For cap-related reasons, the Cavs had delayed finalizing the deal while they considered claiming Mike Miller off waivers, but with Miller now a free agent, that appears to have cleared the way for Bynum to officially join the Cavs.
JULY 10TH, 7:01pm: Bynum's deal is for $12MM this season, only $6MM of which is guaranteed, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. It also includes a $12.5MM team option for 2014/15.
6:52pm: Andrew Bynum has decided to sign with the Cavaliers, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com hears (Twitter link). Bynum and agent David Lee just got off the phone with Cleveland to inform the club of the center's intentions, tweets Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio. The Cavs, who reportedly offered a partially guaranteed two-year, $24MM deal, were growing increasingly unsure of their ability to land the oft-injured center, Amico wrote earlier today, but it looks like their fears were unfounded.
Only $6MM was guaranteed in the team's offer to Bynum, but it still appeared to be the most guaranteed money any team was willing to give him as his field of suitors narrowed to the Cavs, Mavericks and Hawks. The Sixers weren't ruling out a return, but they seemed a longshot.
The Cavs will bank on a return to health for the 2012 All-Star who missed the entire 2012/13 season. The Sixers acquired Bynum last summer as part of the blockbuster Dwight Howard deal, but he never suited up for Philadelphia, felled by a pair of balky knees that also caused him to miss significant time during his seven years with the Lakers.
Cleveland could wind up with a marquee player on the cheap, as Bynum appeared headed toward a maximum-salary contract, or something close to it, before he missed last season. The deal adds to a crowded frontcourt that includes Anderson Varejao, Tristan Thompson and No. 1 pick Anthony Bennett, and it could signal a trade is forthcoming, though that's just my speculation.
Bynum will reunite with Cavs coach Mike Brown, who coached him during his final season with the Lakers. Brown's presence was a factor in Bynum decision, Amico tweets, as the big man feels the team simply wanted him more than any other club.
Anthony Morrow Signs With Pelicans
JULY 18TH: The Pelicans officially announced Morrow's signing in a press release.
JULY 9TH: Free agent guard Anthony Morrow is close to agreeing in principle on a contract with the Pelicans, according to a tweet from RealGM's Shams Charania. According to Yahoo! NBA reporter Marc J. Spears, the deal will be for two years at the league minimum, with a player option on year two.
A career 42.4% shooter from behind the arc, Morrow spent the first half of last season with the Hawks before being traded to the Mavericks. He found himself out of the rotation in both destinations, playing only a combined 383 minutes last year.
Timberwolves Sign Ronny Turiaf
JULY 18TH: The Timberwolves have made the signing of Turiaf official (Twitter link).
JULY 11TH: According to agent Mark Bartelstein, Ronny Turiaf has agreed to sign with the Timberwolves, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com (via Twitter). The deal is worth $3.2MM over two years, tweets RealGM's Shams Charania. The Wolves will be the seventh team in nine years in the NBA for the 30-year-old Turiaf, who spent the 2012/13 season with the Clippers. He played 65 games in Los Angeles, averaging 1.9 PPG and 2.3 RPG in 10.8 minutes.
Per Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune, Bartelstein said that team president Flip Saunders was pivotal in recruiting Turiaf to Minnesota. Bartelstein added that Turiaf sees himself playing a Brad Miller-like role in head coach Rick Adelman's system, and the Gonzaga product expects to compete for minutes right away (Twitter links). Given all the injury problems they had last year, Turiaf should at least provide some much-needed depth for the Wolves.
Mike Miller, Linas Kleiza Clear Waivers
Mike Miller has gone unclaimed on amnesty waivers and will now become an unrestricted free agent, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The same is true for Linas Kleiza, who also cleared waivers, according to ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). Miller and Kleiza were amnestied on Tuesday by the Heat and Raptors, respectively.
It's no surprise that Kleiza didn't draw any interest on amnesty waivers, given his health problems and poor production last season. As Stein notes, he's a good bet to return overseas for the coming season. On the other hand, the Cavaliers were reportedly considering a bid on Miller, but it appears the team decided against it.
Shortly after we heard that the Cavs were mulling a bid for Miller, another report indicated that the veteran sharpshooter is considering surgery to repair bulging disks in his back. Miller has hardly been a picture of good health over the last several seasons, so that's likely true, but it could also have been leaked to scare off non-contenders like the Cavs from making a claim. Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal notes (via Twitter) that Miller "made it clear to people around him" that he wasn't interested in landing in Cleveland.
Even with potential surgery looming, Miller figures to draw interest from contending teams. Wojnarowski and Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com both list the Spurs, Thunder, and Rockets as potential suitors, while Woj also mentions the Warriors and Windhorst names the Grizzlies (Twitter links).
Warriors Sign Toney Douglas
JULY 18TH, 2:53pm: The Warriors have officially signed Douglas, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 9TH, 2:05pm: Douglas' deal with Golden State will be for one year and $1.6MM, according to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter). Barring a sign-and-trade, that means Douglas will receive either a portion of the team's mid-level or bi-annual exception.
12:40pm: The Warriors and Toney Douglas have reached an agreement on a contract, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). Terms of the deal aren't yet known, but I'd be surprised if a significant financial commitment was made to the David Falk client.
Douglas, 27, has played for three NBA teams over the course of his four-year career. After starting with the Knicks, he was sent to Houston in last summer's sign-and-trade deal involving Marcus Camby, then was sent to Sacramento in the six-player swap that saw the Rockets land Thomas Robinson.
Although he averaged 9.8 PPG and recorded a 15.1 PER in his first two seasons in the league, Douglas has fallen off slightly over the last couple years, with those averages slipping to 7.1 and 11.3 respectively. Douglas won't assume the sort of role Jarrett Jack had with the Warriors, but he'll provide an extra body in the backcourt, and should see some playing time at the point.