Jazz Acquire Biedrins, Jefferson, Rush, Picks
JULY 10TH, 4:40pm: Utah's agreement with the Warriors has been finalized and has been rolled into a separate deal, both teams confirmed. The breakdown:
- Utah receives Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush, two first-round picks (2014 and 2017 from Warriors), three second-round picks (2016 and 2017 from Warriors, 2018 from Nuggets), and cash (from Warriors).
- Denver receives Randy Foye (via sign-and-trade) and a second-round pick (2018 from Warriors).
- Golden State receives Andre Iguodala (via sign-and-trade) and Kevin Murphy.
JULY 5TH, 4:36pm: Both first-rounders the Jazz are acquiring in the deal will be unprotected, tweets Jody Genessy of the Deseret News.
4:01pm: The Warriors will send their 2014 and 2017 first-round picks to the Jazz, tweets Wojnarowski. Multiple second-rounders will also go to Utah in the deal, Wojnarowski adds (via Twitter).
3:27pm: Murphy will be sent to the Warriors in the trade, tweets Sam Amick of USA Today. Meanwhile, Wojnarowski tweets that multiple draft picks are headed to the Jazz, including a 2014 first-rounder.
3:23pm: Brandon Rush is also headed to Utah in the deal, according to Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group. Shedding Rush's salary as well will give Golden State room under the cap to sign Iguodala.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com adds (via Twitter) that the Warriors will receive a non-guaranteed contract from Utah in the trade. That player will be either Kevin Murphy or Jerel McNeal.
2:57pm: The Warriors have reached an agreement on a salary-dump trade with the Jazz, according to Adrian Wojnarowksi of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Andris Biedrins and Richard Jefferson will be heading to Utah in the deal, reports TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter).
Rumors relating to the Warriors' trade talks with the Jazz had been swirling all day, as Golden State looked for a way to clear cap space to make a run at Dwight Howard and/or Andre Iguodala. The team ended up reaching an agreement to bring Iguodala aboard, and hasn't been entirely ruled out of the race for Howard.
Nuggets Acquire Randy Foye In Three-Way Deal
WEDNESDAY, 4:37pm: The Nuggets and Jazz have issued press releases officially announcing the three-way deal. Denver will send the Jazz a future second-round pick, as previously reported, but will also receive a future second-rounder from the Warriors in the deal. As I predicted yesterday, Golden State's trade with Utah has also been rolled into this one. In all, the deal looks like this:
- Utah receives Andris Biedrins, Richard Jefferson, Brandon Rush, two first-round picks (2014 and 2017 from Warriors), three second-round picks (2016 and 2017 from Warriors, 2018 from Nuggets), and cash (from Warriors).
- Denver receives Randy Foye (via sign-and-trade) and a second-round pick (2018 from Warriors).
- Golden State receives Andre Iguodala (via sign-and-trade) and Kevin Murphy.
TUESDAY, 3:30pm: The Nuggets, not the Warriors, will send the Jazz a 2018 second-rounder in the trade, according to Genessy (via Twitter).
This strongly suggests to me that the Warriors and Jazz will be folding their earlier agreement into this deal, since not doing so would mean there are no outgoing pieces coming from Golden State. As noted below, folding the two deals into one should allow the Warriors to keep a $11MM+ TPE rather than a $9MM one.
MONDAY, 3:20pm: The Warriors, Nuggets, and Jazz have agreed to a three-way trade that will send Randy Foye to Denver and Andre Iguodala to Golden State via sign-and-trades, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News. Genessy reports that the Jazz will receive a 2018 second-round pick from the Warriors in the deal. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reported late last night that the three teams were involved in "advanced discussions."
According to Wojnarowski's initial report, Foye will receive a three-year, $9MM contract from the Nuggets, with a team option on the third season. ESPN.com's Marc Stein first reported late last night that Foye and the Nuggets were closing in on a verbal agreement. Meanwhile, the deal will mean yet another pick headed to Utah from the Warriors, who are already set to send the Jazz multiple picks in another trade agreement.
Over the weekend, I explained why the Warriors would likely pursue a sign-and-trade agreement with Denver rather than sign Iguodala outright, despite having already agreed to a four-year contract with him. In that piece, I suggested that Golden State would take on Iguodala using the $11,046,000 trade exception the team will create by moving Richard Jefferson, allowing the club to retain its other TPEs and the full mid-level. However, by incorporating Utah into this deal, the Warriors may be able to combine their two agreements with the Jazz into one trade, allowing them to keep the slightly larger Jefferson TPE rather than the $9MM exception for Biedrins.
For Denver, the agreement will allow the team to add Foye and create a trade exception worth Iguodala's new salary. Since the Nuggets project to be an over-the-cap team, it looks like they'll have to use some of that Iguodala TPE in order to acquire Foye, but there still should be $8MM+ left on it when the dust settles.
Wizards Sign Martell Webster To Four-Year Deal
JULY 10TH, 4:18pm: The Wizards have officially announced Webster's signing in a press release.
JULY 2ND, 1:57pm: The fourth year of Webster's deal will be partially guaranteed, tweets Wojnarowski.
1:42pm: Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that Webster's deal with the Wizards will be worth $22MM over four years. So my prediction that the four-year agreement would probably mean a lower annual salary was way off.
Webster's contract will almost certainly use up Washington's entire mid-level exception, since, as we noted in an earlier post, a four-year deal worth the full MLE this summer will work out to $21,990,500. That means that the Wiz have already committed to using both their mid-level exception and their bi-annual exception (on Eric Maynor), so if the team hopes to add more free agents, it will have to be via sign-and-trade or the veteran's minimum.
1:35pm: The Wizards and Martell Webster have reached an agreement on a four-year deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Multiple reports suggested yesterday that even after the Wizards drafted Otto Porter and Glen Rice Jr. last week, re-signing Webster was the team's top priority in free agency.
TNT's David Aldridge had indicated that Washington would likely use part, but not all, of its mid-level exception to bring back Webster. Considering the 26-year-old is receiving a four-year deal, I would guess the annual salary will be a little lower than if Webster had re-signed for just one or two years, though the terms of the agreement haven't been reported yet.
Webster signed a one-year contract worth $1.75MM with the Wizards last summer and enjoyed the most productive season of his eight-year career. In 76 games for Washington, the Relativity Sports client established new career-highs in PPG (11.4), 3PT% (.422), and PER (13.9), among other categories.
Bulls Sign Tony Snell, Erik Murphy
The Bulls have officially inked their pair of 2013 draft picks to deals, the team announced today in a press release. First-rounder Tony Snell will receive a standard rookie-scale contract, while Erik Murphy's years and dollars aren't known.
Snell, the 20th overall pick in the draft, should earn a first-year salary of about $1.41MM, as our chart of rookie cap holds shows. As the 49th overall pick, Murphy is likely in line for a minimum-salary contract. It may be for multiple seasons, though it's not a lock to be fully guaranteed.
Pelicans Re-Sign Al-Farouq Aminu
JULY 10TH: The Pelicans have officially re-signed Aminu, the team confirmed today in a press release.
JULY 5TH: The Pelicans and Al-Farouq Aminu have agreed to a one-year, $3.7MM deal that will keep the small forward in New Orleans, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The team had prioritized an upgrade at small forward in the offseason, but with other major moves, including the acquisitions of Jrue Holiday and Tyreke Evans, it appears the Pelicans are content to bring back their incumbent starter at the three.
There hadn't been much talk about other teams interested in Aminu, a client of Raymond Brothers at IAM Sports & Entertainment. Still, the three-year veteran showed steady progress over his time in the league, averaging 7.3 points and 7.7 rebounds in his first year as a full-time starter in 2011/12. The Pelicans declined their fourth-year option on his rookie contract before this past season began, and they wound up agreeing to re-sign him at an amount roughly equivalent to his cap hold.
Warriors Pick Up 2014/15 Option On Mark Jackson
The Warriors have officially exercised their team option on head coach Mark Jackson for the 2014/15 season, the team announced today in a press release.
In 2012/13, Jackson led the Warriors to a 47-35 record and a sixth seed in the Western Conference. It was the team's first playoff berth since 2006/07, and only the second in the last 19 seasons. Overall, Jackson has a 70-78 record (.473) as the head coach of the Warriors, and has one postseason series victory under his belt.
While there have been some rumblings about a potential contract extension for Jackson, the team's decision to pick up his '14/15 option will keep him under contract for at least two more seasons, so there's no rush to negotiate a new deal. Jackson himself indicated last month that he isn't expecting to sign an extension this offseason.
Trail Blazers Sign Allen Crabbe
2:45pm: Crabbe's deal is a three-year contract with a team option on the third year, tweets Joe Freeman of the Oregonian.
WEDNESDAY, 10:52am: Crabbe has officially signed with the Blazers, according to team owner Paul Allen (via Twitter).
TUESDAY, 4:23pm: Allen Crabbe will sign his contract with the Trail Blazers tonight, reports Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge (via Twitter). Because he was the first pick of the second round in the draft, Crabbe isn't eligible for a standard rookie-scale deal.
Crabbe, 21, was regarded as one of the better shooters in the draft, having averaged 18.4 PPG during his junior year at California. It's not clear how many years or dollars he and the Blazers have agreed to, but a minimum-salary contract is one possibility. If Crabbe receives more than the minimum, Portland can use either its cap space or a portion of its room exception for the deal.
Eric Bledsoe To Suns, Redick To Clippers
JULY 10TH: The Bucks have officially announced that the three-way deal has been finalized (Twitter link). Milwaukee will receive Toronto's 2014 second-round pick (via the Suns), and the Clippers' 2015 second-rounder, which is protected in '15 and '16, but unprotected in '17 (Twitter link). That Raptors pick also has some unusual protection, the details of which can be found at RealGM.com.
JULY 2ND: The Clippers, Bucks, and Suns have reached agreement on a three-team deal, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (Twitter links). Eric Bledsoe and Caron Butler will go to the Suns, Jared Dudley and J.J. Redick (sign-and-trade) will head to the Clippers and two second-round picks will be sent to the Bucks, according to sources. The Clippers and Suns will each kick in a second-rounder, tweets Gery Woelfel of the Racine Journal Times.
Redick's brand new deal will pay him $27MM over the next four years, Wojnarowski (link) hears from sources. The shooting guard will also get a trade kicker in his contract, Wojnarowski tweets.
The Clippers were in the market for a shooter this summer and they get a tremendous one in the former Bucks guard. Redick averaged 14.1 PPG last season for the Bucks and Magic, though his downtown shooting dipped to 36.6% versus his 40% clip from the previous six seasons. It's also worth noting that Redick attempted 5.8 threes per game, versus 3.1 prior to 2012/13.
Bledsoe is a major acquisition for the recently-crowned GM Ryan McDonough. The 23-year-old guard will team up with No. 5 overall pick Alex Len for the Suns who are hoping to recover from a rough 2012/13 campaign. The Clippers were extremely high on Bledsoe and his potential, but even ardent supporter Chris Paul acknowledged earlier this year that he would likely be traded to fill a greater need. Bledsoe was stellar last season, averaging 8.5 PPG and 3.1 APG in 20.4 minutes per contest, serving primarily as Paul's understudy. Bledsoe's addition figured to change things for point guard Goran Dragic and may also effect last year's first-round pick Kendall Marshall.
The Suns also get Butler in the swap and they'll pay him $8MM in his upcoming walk year. The veteran averaged 10.4 PPG last season, his lowest mark since his sophomore campaign in 2003/04. He started all 78 games that he played in for the Clippers last season but played just 24.1 minutes per contest. One has to imagine that he'll see a good amount of burn for the rebuilding Suns.
Dudley started 50 games (79 played in total) for the struggling Suns last season, averaging 10.9 PPG and 3.1 RPG. The 6'7" forward has a reasonable contract as he earns $4.25MM in each of the next two seasons and can make the same amount in 2015/16 if he triggers his player option. While he's not the centerpiece of the deal for L.A., he can certainly be a valuable addition to their bench.
As for the Bucks, this deal is something of a head-scratcher. Milwaukee parted ways with Tobias Harris in a six-player deal to acquire Redick back in February and five months later, they have just two second-round picks to show for it.
Pelicans To Acquire Jrue Holiday For Noel, ’14 Pick
JULY 10TH, 2:08pm: The trade between the Pelicans and Sixers is now official, according to Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). However, Bob Cooney of the Philadelphia Daily News says (via Twitter) that it won't be finalized until at least tomorrow, since Holiday is on his honeymoon and is unavailable to complete the paperwork.
JUNE 28TH, 6:17pm: Sixers GM Sam Hinkie has confirmed that the 2014 first-rounder headed from New Orleans to Philadelphia is top-five protected, reports Dei Lynam of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link).
1:07am: The deal won't become official until July 10th, tweets Brian Mahoney of the Associated Press. That makes sense, since the Pelicans won't have room to absorb Holiday's salary until their cap room becomes available in July.
JUNE 27TH, 7:52pm: Ford now tweets that the pick headed to Philadelphia is top-five protected for 2014, and ESPN.com's Marc Stein backs up the report (via Twitter).
7:33pm: ESPN.com's Chad Ford tweets that the 2014 first-rounder headed to Philadelphia is top-three protected, while TNT's David Aldridge tweets it's lottery-protected. Given Wojnarowski's assertion that the protection is "light," Ford's report makes more sense, but we'll have to wait for confirmation.
7:26pm: The Pelicans will also receive this year's 42nd overall pick from the Sixers in the deal, tweets Wojnarowski.
7:22pm: After unexpectedly snagging Nerlens Noel sixth overall, the Pelicans will send him to the 76ers, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (all Twitter links). The Pelicans will receive Jrue Holiday and will also send a 2014 first-round pick in 2014 to Philadelphia, Wojnarowski reports, adding that the pick is expected to have "light protection" (Twitter link). Chris Broussard of ESPN.com first tweeted that Noel would be on the move.
Pacers Re-Sign David West To Three-Year Deal
JULY 10TH, 1:50pm: The Pacers have officially re-signed West, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 2ND, 12:01pm: West and the Pacers have agreed to terms, according to TNT's David Aldridge, who says the deal will be worth slightly more than $36MM (Twitter link).
11:46am: The Pacers are working to finalize a three-year contract agreement to bring David West back to Indiana, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). In recent weeks, Pacers brass had frequently referred to West as the team's top offseason priority, and there appeared to be a mutual interest in a new deal.
West, who is represented by Octagon Sports, is coming off a two-year, $20MM deal with the Pacers, and will be in line for an increased annual salary after two successful seasons in Indiana. According to Wojnarowski (via Twitter), the two sides are discussing a three-year, $36MM pact, which figures to include a third-year player option.
West, who will turn 33 in August, averaged 17.1 PPG and 7.7 RPG to go along with a 20.1 PER in 2012/13, anchoring a Pacers team that pushed the Heat to seven games in the Eastern Conference Finals this spring.
We heard yesterday that the Pacers don't plan to become a taxpaying team "for any reason." The team headed into July with about $50MM in salary commitments for 2013/14, so assuming the club finalizes a deal with West that will pay him $11MM+ next season, and agreed to a modest salary for C.J. Watson (perhaps in the neighborhood of $2MM), the club should have about $7-8MM in wiggle room below the tax line.