Hawks Match Bucks’ Offer Sheet For Teague
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
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
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
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: 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: 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.
Rockets, 76ers Finalize Royce White Trade
The Rockets and 76ers announced that they have finalized the deal that will send Royce White, the draft rights to Turkish forward Furkan Aldemir, and cash considerations to Philly in exchange for future draft considerations.
White, the 16th pick in the 2012 draft, never appeared in a regular season game for the Rockets because of his battles with the team concerning accomodations for his psychological disorders. He averaged 11.4 points and 5.7 rebounds in 16 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Houston's D-League affiliate.
The move clears White's $1,719,480 guaranteed salary from Houston's books, which helped to give Houston a little more breathing room in an offseason headlined by the signing of Dwight Howard.
Kings Acquire Luc Mbah A Moute
10:55pm: The Bucks' press release gives additional detail on one of the picks headed to Milwaukee. The Bucks will receive the higher of Sacramento's own 2016 second-rounder, or the Pelicans' 2016 second-rounder, which the Kings had acquired in a previous transaction.
FRIDAY, 9:45pm: The Kings have officially announced the deal, via press release.
"Luc is one of the premier defenders in the game today, with a proven ability to guard a variety of different scoring threats on a nightly basis," GM Pete D’Alessandro said. "His versatility in this respect will go a long way in helping us improve dramatically on the defensive end of the floor. We’re excited to welcome Luc to the Kings family."
TUESDAY, 2:57pm: The Bucks won't get the Kings' 2018 pick outright, but will have the option to swap second-rounders, says Amick (via Twitter).
2:48pm: The Bucks will receive a 2016 second-round pick and a 2018 second-rounder from the Kings, tweets Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports confirms (via Twitter).
2:31pm: The Kings have reached an agreement with the Bucks that will send Luc Mbah a Moute to Sacramento in exchange for draft considerations, reports Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). According to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), the Kings will give up a lone second-round pick in the deal.
As Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee wrote overnight, the Kings were still in the market for a small forward, and had the cap space available to take on a player without sending out any salary. Mbah a Moute will make close to $9MM over the next two seasons, including about $4.59MM in 2013/14, a figure Sacramento should be able to absorb using its cap room.
Mbah a Moute, 26, has been remarkably consistent over the course of his NBA career so far. In five seasons with the Bucks, the former second-round pick has averaged between 6.2 and 7.7 PPG each year, along with between 4.4 and 5.9 RPG. However, he hasn't played a full season in either of the last two years, due to knee problems.
Pelicans, Sixers Finalize Trade
The Pelicans and Sixers have officially announced their swap involving Jrue Holiday and Nerlens Noel, a trade that was agreed upon on draft night but held up until after the July Moratorium. The Pelicans bring aboard Holiday and Pierre Jackson, the 42nd pick in last month's draft, in exchange for Noel and a 2014 first-round draft choice. The 2014 pick will remain with the Pelicans if it falls in the top five.
The delay in finalizing the trade stemmed from the Pelicans' inability to absorb Holiday's $9,213,484 salary until the NBA's calendar flipped over to 2013/14 this month, and the newlywed Holiday's honeymoon caused a further holdup. The 23-year-old point guard is now finally entrenched in New Orleans, where he'll begin drawing paychecks from the four-year, $41MM extension he signed last October with the Sixers a few months before making his first All-Star appearance.
Noel, who seemed the odds-on favorite to become the No. 1 pick last month, heads to Philadelphia after slipping to the No. 6 spot in the draft. The 7'0" center from Kentucky will miss the first part of the season recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in his only collegiate season. The 5'10" Jackson, the other 2013 draftee involved in the swap, heads to New Orleans after distinguishing himself as a point guard at Baylor.
That protection attached to the 2014 first-rounder extends in perpetuity, so if the Pelicans wind up with a string of top-five picks over the next few years, they won't have to give them up, as Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. For additional details about the swap, see our post about the initial agreement.
Mavs Scrap Deal With Devin Harris
7:46pm: The injury to Harris prompted the Mavs to sign Ellis, Stein writes. That makes sense, since GM Donnie Nelson said two days ago that the team likely wouldn't be in the mix for Ellis, comments that seemed misleading when word broke of the Mavs' agreement with Ellis earlier today. The money that was to go to Harris is now set to go to a big man, according to Stein, so perhaps the club won't be signing another point guard. The Mavs envisioned Harris starting at shooting guard, as he often did with the Hawks, Stein says, so that lends further credence to the Ellis-for-Harris substitution.
6:51pm: A toe injury has prompted the Mavericks to nix their agreement to sign Devin Harris to a three-year, $9MM deal, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. The decision was mutual, Stein notes. Dallas remains interested in signing him, but the surgery required is expected to keep Harris out until the start of the regular season, according to Stein (Twitter link). First-round pick and fellow point guard Shane Larkin suffered a broken ankle in summer league practice, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports notes via Twitter, so it's possible the pair of injuries prompted the Mavs to call off their plans with Harris.
"All indications" are the Mavs will sign Monta Ellis using cap room instead of a sign-and-trade with the Bucks, Stein tweets. So, the decision not to sign Harris gives the club the flexibility to sign a big man as well, with Samuel Dalembert still the primary target, according to Stein (Twitter link).
The Mavs have signed point guards Jose Calderon and Gal Mekel to deals this summer, as our Free Agent Tracker shows, and they have Josh Akognon on a non-guaranteed contract, so they're not entirely devoid of help at the position. Still, Calderon is the only point guard with more than eight games of NBA experience on the roster now, so perhaps the team will look elsewhere. Aaron Brooks, D.J. Augustin and Beno Udrih are among veteran point guards still available on the free agent market, though none have been linked to Dallas this summer.
Harris, an Excel Sports Management client, remains an unrestricted free agent. The Knicks had been in touch with his representatives prior to his decision to head to Dallas, and the former No. 5 overall pick out of Wisconsin said this spring that he'd be open to listening to offers from the Bucks. Milwaukee has hired former Hawks coach Larry Drew, inked Zaza Pachulia and has a signed offer sheet from Jeff Teague, all of whom played with Harris in Atlanta this past season.