Jazz Exercise 2013/14 Option On Tyrone Corbin
The Jazz have extended head coach Tyrone Corbin's contract an additional year, exercising their 2013/14 option on his contract, the team announced today in a press release. The move will keep Corbin under contract through the next two seasons.
"Greg Miller, Randy Rigby and Kevin O’Connor made an excellent choice when they selected Tyrone Corbin to lead this team. I have been very impressed with Ty’s leadership skills, as well as his openness and collaborative nature," said Jazz GM Dennis Lindsey in a statement. "He inherited a young team under difficult circumstances and did a remarkable job last season of developing our players and advancing the team to the playoffs. He has shown poise, steadiness and an overall passion for the franchise’s well-being that I am confident will serve the Jazz well moving forward"
Although Corbin had occasional issues with players such as Raja Bell and C.J. Miles last season, he led Utah to a solid showing on the court. The Jazz had a 36-30 record and earned a No. 8 seed in the Western Conference in Corbin's first full year as the team's head coach.
Thunder Exercise Option On Reggie Jackson
The Thunder have excerised their third-year option on guard Reggie Jackson, according to a tweet from SI.com's Chris Mannix. Jackson was selected with the 24th pick in the 2011 draft, and averaged 3.1 PPG, 1.6 APG and 1.2 RPG in 45 games last season. The option guarantees Jackson $1.33MM for the 2013/14 season.
With the team's presumed backup point guard Eric Maynor set to become a restricted free agent after the season, Oklahoma City might be geared towards playing the more economic option (Jackson) this year.
Mavericks Waive Delonte West
3:49pm: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports tweets that there will be interest in West from NBA clubs, but that the ex-Mav figures to wait on teams to develop needs early in the season in order to find the best fit.
3:17pm: The Mavericks have officially waived Delonte West, according to a press release from the team. The move reduces the team to 15 players in advance of today's roster deadline.
West was re-signed by the Mavs this summer on a one-year, minimum-salary contract, but fell out of favor with the club over the last few weeks. He was recently suspended a second time this month for conduct detrimental to the team. Even though the 29-year-old's contract was guaranteed, the club decided to carry Eddy Curry as its 15th man rather than West.
According to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter), the Mavs were unable to negotiate a buyout with West, meaning the veteran guard will still be paid in full and Dallas will take a small cap hit for his minimum salary. The only way the Mavs could get off the hook for his salary is if one of the league's 29 other teams decided to claim him on waivers this week.
K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune speculates (via Twitter) that the Bulls, who had interest before, could kick the tires again if West clears waivers. Chicago will be eligible to sign a minimum-salary player later in November.
Rockets Waive Lazar Hayward, Shaun Livingston
3:32pm: Berman confirms (via Twitter) that the Rockets have waived Hayward. In addition to Hayward, Forbes, Brockman, and JaJuan Johnson, Houston has also released Shaun Livingston, according to Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Livingston was under contract for $3.5MM this season, but only $1MM was guaranteed.
2:10pm: Shortly after acquiring him from the Thunder, the Rockets are expected to waive Lazar Hayward, according to Mark Berman of the FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link).
With 19 players under contract, Houston has to release four players today in order to reduce their roster to the 15-man regular-season limit. We've heard previously that Gary Forbes and Jon Brockman are expected to be cut. If the team makes that official, and releases Hayward, it would still need to waive one more player.
Hayward, 25, has appeared in 68 total games for the Timberwolves and Thunder since being drafted 30th overall in 2010. He has averaged just 2.9 PPG on 35.4% shooting in his two NBA seasons. Like Forbes and Brockman, Hayward has a guaranteed contract for 2012/13, so the Rockets will need to eat some salary in order to waive him. The Marquette product is owed $1,174,080 for the coming season, and had a team option for $2.12MM, which it seems won't be picked up.
Hornets Pick Up Option On Greivis Vasquez
The Hornets have exercised their 2013/14 option on Greivis Vasquez, according to John Reid of the Times Picayune. However, Reid confirms that the team will not pick up '13/14 options for Al-Farouq Aminu or Xavier Henry.
All three players are heading into their third seasons, meaning the Hornets had to decide on their respective fourth-year options. Vasquez, who figures to see increased playing time this season with Jarrett Jack having been traded to Golden State, will earn about $1.19MM this season and $2.15MM in 2013/14.
Aminu would have been in line for a $3.75MM salary next season, while Henry would have earned $3.2MM. Instead, both players will become unrestricted free agents at the end of this season. According to Reid, the Hornets may still be interested in re-signing both players, but want to keep their options open when it comes to cap space.
Rockets Waive Johnson, Forbes, Brockman
MONDAY, 2:27pm: The Rockets have waived Forbes and Brockman as well, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (via Twitter).
SUNDAY, 12:11pm: The team has waived Johnson, according to his agent, Kevin Bradbury, Mark Berman of FOX 26 reports (Twitter link).
11:20am: The Rockets are expected to waive Gary Forbes, Jon Brockman and JaJuan Johnson on Monday, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). All three have fully guaranteed salaries, with two more cuts necessary to get down to the regular-season roster limit of 15 by Monday's 4:00pm Central time deadline.
Forbes is set to make $1.5MM, Johnson $1.089MM, and Brockman $1MM this season, all of which the Rockets would have to pay regardless of whether they're waived. Houston has three players with partially guaranteed contracts, but no one on a non-guaranteed deal.
Thunder Trade James Harden To Rockets
MONDAY, 1:30pm: All the physicals and paperwork relating to the Harden trade have been completed, meaning the Rockets can now officially negotiate and sign an extension for Harden, reports Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). As Feigen notes, extension talks shouldn't drag on, since a max-salary offer is expected.
SUNDAY, 1:49pm: According to SI.com's Ben Golliver, Harden has indicated he will sign a maximum extension with the Rockets before Wednesday's deadline.
10:15am: Harden has expressed interest in the maximum-salary deal that the Rockets will offer him, Mark Berman of Fox 26 hears (Twitter link). Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle has no doubt Harden will sign the extension, calling it a "slam dunk" (Twitter link).
SATURDAY, 10:42pm: Wojnarowski adds that the Rockets, unlike the Thunder, are able to give Harden a five-year maximum extension. Under the Collective Bargaining Agreement, each team is allowed to designate one player to receive a five-year max extension, and the Thunder have already given one to Russell Westbrook. You can view a complete list of teams who have used their five-year extensions here.
10:20pm: Wojnarowski reports (Twitter links) that the Thunder's final offer to Harden was for between $53 and $54MM over four years, and the extension the Rockets will give him once the trade is completed will be worth $60MM over four years.
10:14pm: ESPN.com's Marc Stein reports that the Rockets plan to sign Harden to the maximum four-year contract extension he was seeking from the Thunder before Wednesday's deadline.
10:06pm: Wojnarowski has clarified the draft picks the Thunder will receive in the deal (Twitter links). Oklahoma City will receive 2013 first-round picks from the Rockets belonging to Dallas and Toronto, in addition to a 2013 second-round pick belonging to Charlotte.
10:02pm: Specifics of the picks the Thunder will receive from the Rockets are not clear, but Wojnarowski reports that they will be "significant." He adds that Thunder GM Sam Presti quickly decided to trade Harden after extension talks broke down. Earlier Saturday, Wojnarowski reported that Harden had rejected an offer of four years at $52MM from the Thunder but that the sides were continuing to negotiate.
9:47pm: Yahoo's Adrian Wojnarowski reports (all Twitter links) that the Oklahoma City Thunder have traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets along with Cole Aldrich, Lazar Hayward, and Daequan Cook in exchange for Jeremy Lamb, Kevin Martin, and future draft picks.
Wizards Waive Brian Cook, Shelvin Mack
The Washington Wizards have waived forward Brian Cook and guard Shelvin Mack, the team announced in a press release Sunday. The cuts bring their roster to 15 ahead of the regular season.
On Saturday, the Wizards waived Shavlik Randolph and Steven Gray to bring the roster to 17 players. The release of Mack and Cook would indicate that the final two spots on Washington's regular-season roster will be given to center Earl Barron and guard Jannero Pargo.
Mack was the 34th overall pick in the 2011 draft. Cook was traded to Washington as part of the trade that sent JaVale McGee to Denver at the 2011/12 trade deadline.
Mavericks Waive Ely, Douglas-Roberts
The Mavericks have waived Melvin Ely and Chris Douglas-Roberts, the team announced via press release. The moves come on the heels of a report that team officials have convinced owner Mark Cuban to waive suspended guard Delonte West, whose roster spot Ely and Douglas-Roberts appeared to be competing for. Instead, it seems that spot will go to Eddy Curry. Ely and Douglas-Roberts, like Curry, were on non-guaranteed deals.
It's the second time Douglas-Roberts has been waived this week, as the Lakers let him go Tuesday after he averaged 4.0 points in 8.3 minutes per game over four preseason contests with L.A. Ely is a veteran of eight NBA seasons, but didn't play in the league last year, instead catching on for five games in Puerto Rico. Neither player appeared in a preseason game for the Mavs after signing Thursday.
Tim McMahon of ESPNDallas.com believes both will wind up with the Texas Legends, the D-League affiliate for the Mavs, as the Legends hold their rights in that league.
Bobcats Waive Josh Owens, DaJuan Summers
The Bobcats have waived training camp invitees Josh Owens and DaJuan Summers, the team announced. Both were on non-guaranteed deals, and their departures leave the team's roster at 14 players. Cory Higgins is the only player with a non-guaranteed contract remaining in Charlotte.
Owens, a 6'8" power forward who ranked 83rd on the list of the top 100 draft prospects this year by Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider only), went undrafted out of Stanford, but wound up on the Bobcats' summer league team before getting the camp invitation. He appeared in just two games over the summer, however, and didn't see any preseason game action.
Summers, also 6'8", was the 35th overall pick in 2009, but hasn't made much of an impact in three NBA seasons, averaging 3.4 points and 1.0 rebounds in 10.0 minutes per game for his career. He put up 2.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG over 7.5 MPG in six preseason contests for the Bobcats this month.