Magic Sign Jason Maxiell
1:25pm: The Magic have officially announced the signing of Maxiell in a press release.
11:58am: Free agent big man Jason Maxiell will join the Magic, according to Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News (via Twitter). Although Goodwill calls the news "official," there's been no announcement from the team yet, but it appears the two sides have an agreement in place. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports confirms (via Twitter) that it will be a two-year deal.
The Magic haven't been very active in free agency this offseason, which is no surprise, since it's not like the club is a player or two from contention. A report last week suggested Orlando wanted to add depth at point guard and center though. Since then, the team has agreed to sign Ronnie Price at the point, and has now agreed to terms with Maxiell. The 30-year-old isn't a traditional center, but the team sees him as someone who can play some minutes in the middle as well as at power forward, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter).
Maxiell is coming off a four-year contract that paid him $5MM annually, so he'll see his salary cut roughly in half — Goodwill tweets the two-year deal is worth about $5MM overall. Wojnarowski adds in his story that the second year of the contract will be a team option, which perhaps means it will be non-guaranteed.
The former Cincinnati Bearcat has spent his entire eight-year NBA career in Detroit, after being drafted by the Pistons in the first round of the 2005 draft. In his most recent season with the team, Maxiell started 71 of his 72 games, averaging 6.9 PPG and 5.7 RPG in 24.8 minutes per contest.
Nets Waive D.J. White
The Nets have released D.J. White, the team announced today in a press release. White was included as part of the blockbuster deal that sent him to Brooklyn along with Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Jason Terry.
White's 2013/14 salary wasn't set to become guaranteed until August 1st, so the Nets won't take a cap hit for cutting him. Assuming the 26-year-old forward clears waivers, he'll be free to try to latch on with any team except for the Celtics, who are ineligible to re-sign him until next July.
White, a 2008 first-round pick, appeared in just 12 contests for the Celtics last season and averaged only 7.2 minutes in those games, so he didn't have a chance to make much of an impact. The five-year veteran, who has also played for the Thunder and Bobcats, has never had a real standout season in the NBA, but has been fairly efficient in the minutes he's played, recording a 14.6 career PER.
Mavs Reach New Agreement With Devin Harris?
Mavericks owner Mark Cuban indicated that the team has a new deal with point guard Devin Harris, whose initial three-year, $9MM agreement with the team was scrubbed when he suffered a toe injury.
"He's coming back. We just restructured the deal,'' Cuban said, according to Dwain Price of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).
A new deal between Dallas and the Excel Sports Management Client would come 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. The financial terms of the latest agreement are unclear, but I'd imagine he'll take a paycut of some kind. Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors speculated this week that Harris could be in line for a two-year minimum salary contract with a player option for the second season.
The Mavs have a lot of balls in the air with regard to free agency at the moment, having struck a deal with Samuel Dalembert earlier this evening. The team is expected to reach agreement with Brandan Wright soon, and Dallas continues to eye Greg Oden. Cuban confirmed the team is still in the market for the No. 1 overall pick, but the owner says his team and Oden's representatives haven't engaged in contract talks, Price notes (on Twitter).
Dallas also has a decision to make regarding Bernard James, whose contract for this season was supposed to have become fully guaranteed if he wasn't waived on or before this past Monday. James and the team agreed to put off that deadline.
Lakers Sign Jordan Farmar
JULY 17TH, 7:55pm: The Lakers have officially announced the signing.
JULY 15TH, 4:27pm: The Lakers are "close" to a buyout with Farmar's former club, a source tells Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News (via Twitter).
JULY 10TH, 8:52pm: Farmar is still on track to join the Lakers, but his buyout with Anadolu Efes is still not complete, according to Kevin Ding of the Orange County Register (on Twitter).
7:28am: Although Dwight Howard left guaranteed salary on the table to leave Los Angeles, at least one player is willing to give up money to come back to L.A. According to Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com, the Lakers have agreed to terms with Jordan Farmar on a one-year deal worth the minimum salary.
After being bought out by the Hawks a year ago, Farmar signed a three-year contract with Turkey's Anadolu Efes worth a reported $10MM+. The 26-year-old will earn about $1.1MM with the Lakers after the team negotiates his buyout with Anadolu Efes, a figure that McMenamin says will be around $500K.
"They knew about my deal overseas and really didn't push it earlier because they didn't think I'd be willing to give up that guaranteed money I had over there," Farmar told McMenamin. "I wanted to be back in the NBA, but more importantly, back with the Lakers. This is the only situation I would have taken a minimum deal with."
The Tony Dutt client spent the first four years of his NBA career with the Lakers before joining the Nets for a pair of seasons. Overall, Farmer has averaged 7.7 PPG and a 13.3 PER in 413 NBA contests. We first heard back on the opening day of free agency that there was mutual interest between him and the Lakers.
Bucks Sign Zaza Pachulia
JULY 17TH, 4:55pm: The Bucks have officially finalized their deal with Pachulia, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 6TH, 11:03pm: According to sources close to the situation, Marc Stein of ESPN.com writes that the Bucks and Pachulia verbally agreed to a three-year deal that will pay him $16MM. Pachulia will be re-united with his coach with the Hawks last season when he follows Larry Drew to the Bucks.
9:46pm: Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets that it's a three-year $15MM deal. ESPN.com's Chris Broussard tweets the same, as does NBA.com columnist David Aldridge (Twitter), but Yahoo! Sports' Marc J. Spears says the deal is actually worth $15.6MM over three years (Twitter) while referencing that ESPN first reported the story (see below).
Gardner adds that Pachulia will be a good locker-room presence for the Bucks and provide nice addition of toughness inside to team with blossoming big man Larry Sanders (Twitter).
Pachulia is represented by Jim Connor of Williams & Connolly according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database. Zaza averaged 5.9 PPG and 6.5 RPG in 21.8 MPG during a 2012/13 season that saw him appear in 52 games for the Hawks.
9:37pm: Yahoo! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski tweets that league sources are telling him the deal is worth $15MM over three years.
9:33pm: Stein tweets that the Bucks have agreed to a three-year deal worth $16MM for Zaza Pachulia.
9:31pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein says (Twitter) the Bucks are "pushing very hard" to get Hawks big man, Zaza Pachulia. They're reportedly offering in the $5MM a year range, Stein adds (Twitter).
Bucks Sign Carlos Delfino
JULY 17TH: The Bucks have officially signed Delfino, the team confirmed today (Twitter link).
JULY 7TH: The Bucks are set to sign Carlos Delfino to a two-year, $6.5MM deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports. The third year is a team option that could boost the total value of the pact to $10MM.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported earlier tonight that the two sides were nearing agreement on a contract. We recently heard that the Knicks were showing interest in Delfino as they seek out a solid wing defender who can also shoot it from beyond the arc. He also received interest from a club in China, but the interest wasn't mutual.
Delfino and teammate Aaron Brooks were informed in mid-June that they wouldn't be brought back as the club had to make way for D12. Had his non-guaranteed deal been honored, Delfino would have made $3MM in 2013/14. The soon-to-be 31-year-old averaged 10.6 PPG and 3.3 RPG in 25.2 minutes per game last season.
Delfino is a client of ASM Sports, according to the Hoops Rumors Agency Database.
Knicks Re-Sign J.R. Smith
JULY 16TH: Smith's deal is actually for a maximum of three years and $17.95MM, with the third year a player option, reports Howard Beck of the New York Times. Beck also adds, via Twitter, that Smith's agent Leon Rose says the shooting guard originally agreed to a four year pact, as was reported below, but then opted for a shorter deal in order to become a free agent sooner. If Smith declines his third-year option, he can become a free agent in 2015 with full Bird rights. As Beck notes in his story, it is peculiar that Knicks GM Glen Grunwald didn't make an effort to clarify this point in his conference call with the media today, especially considering the scrutiny he has been under since news broke of Smith's surgery.
JULY 11TH: The Knicks have made the re-signing of Smith official, according to the club's PR Twitter account.
JULY 10TH: According to cap expert Larry Coon (via Twitter), the Early Bird amount for the coming season is $5,565,000. Assuming Smith will receive the max contract allowable via the Early Bird exception, as had been previously reported, that means he'll earn $24,764,250 over the course of his contract.
The year-by-year amounts work out to about $5.57MM, $5.98MM, $6.4MM, and $6.82MM, respectively.
JULY 4TH: The Knicks have reached an agreement to re-sign J.R. Smith, agent Leon Rose tells Frank Isola of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). According to Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Twitter), Smith's new deal will be for four years and approximately $24.7MM, while Howard Beck of the New York Times tweets that the fourth year will be a player option.
As Beck notes (via Twitter), the exact amount Smith will earn won't be known until the NBA determines the league's average salary. Because the Knicks held the 27-year-old's Early Bird rights, they're permitted to offer him a contract that starts at 104.5% of the NBA's average salary, which is expected to be in the neighborhood of $5-5.5MM.
As recently as yesterday, a report suggested that Smith would have larger offers on the table from teams besides the Knicks, making it very possible that he'd leave New York. But with the Bucks closing in on a deal with O.J. Mayo, one leading suitor for Smith may have been out of the mix. Additionally, returning to the Knicks always seemed to be Smith's preference, and he showed last summer that he was willing to take a discount to remain in NYC.
Smith, the 2012/13 Sixth Man of the Year, was terrific off the bench for the Knicks last season, averaging 18.1 PPG and recording a 17.6 PER as the club's second scoring option after Carmelo Anthony.
Adrian Wojnarwoski of Yahoo! Sports reported yesterday that Smith, a CAA client, was nearing an agreement with the Knicks.
Bucks Amnesty Drew Gooden
The Bucks have used their amnesty provision on Drew Gooden, the organization announced today via the team Twitter account. Gooden was rumored to be on the block for much of the winter, so it's no surprise that the Bucks amnestied the former Kansas star, who had two years and more than $13MM remaining on his contact.
Gooden signed a five-year, $32MM deal with Milwaukee before the 2010/11 season but appeared in only 16 games with the team last year, as the Bucks went young on the front line. He had arguably his best season as pro in Milwaukee in 2011/12, averaging 13.7 points and 6.5 rebounds in 26.2 minutes per game, which added up to a PER of 18.88.
Gooden, an 11-year veteran whose been traded five times, will now enter the amnesty waiver process, where teams with cap room can put in a claim for him over the next 48 hours. If no team bids, he will become an unrestricted free agent. According to Grantland's Zach Lowe, the move frees up $8-9MM of cap space for Milwaukee while keeping the cap hold for Brandon Jennings on the books (Twitter link). This assumes the Bucks don't re-sign Samuel Dalembert.
Raptors Amnesty Linas Kleiza
The Raptors will use their amnesty provision on Linas Kleiza, the team officially announced today through a press release. We heard earlier that this move was to be expected, as the deadline for teams to use their amnesty clause for this season is tonight. Kleiza signed with Toronto as a free agent three years ago and appeared in 108 games for the Raptors, averaging 9.8 points and 4.0 rebounds in 22.8 minutes per game.
“We thank Linas for his contributions as a Raptor and wish him all the best,” Raptors GM Masai Ujiri said in the press release.
Kleiza will now be subject to the amnesty waiver process, where teams with cap room can put in a claim for his services over the next 48 hours. If no team bites, Kleiza becomes an unrestricted free agent and, as our earlier report indicates, will probably head overseas for the coming season. While this move won't clear any cap room for Toronto, it should allow the team to move below the tax threshold.
Raptors Sign Dwight Buycks
JULY 16TH: The Raptors have officially signed Buycks, according to the team (via Twitter).
JULY 12TH: The Raptors have reached a contract agreement with point guard Dwight Buycks, according to Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman (via Twitter). Buycks will have a chance to earn the backup point guard job with the Raptors, says Mayberry, while Shams Charania of RealGM.com reports it will be a multiyear contract.
Buycks spent last season with BCM Gravelines in France, averaging 18.0 PPG on 48.6% shooting. Prior to playing in France, the 24-year-old played in Belgium and spent time with the Thunder's D-League team, the Tulsa 66ers. The Marquette product also had been playing well for Oklahoma City in Summer League play in Orlando this month, prompting Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside to wonder if he'd earn an NBA contract.
The Raptors figure to head into 2013/14 with Kyle Lowry as the starting point guard, but may not have a veteran backing up, with Sebastian Telfair and John Lucas III on the open market. In addition to Buycks, the Raptors have also agreed to terms with Julyan Stone.
The Trail Blazers, Thunder, and Heat were also interested in Buycks before he agreed to sign with the Raptors, says Charania.