Matt Barnes Signs With Clippers
THURSDAY, 2:23pm: The team confirmed the move via press release on its website, and Berger adds that it's a one-year, minimum-salary deal (Twitter link). For the nine-year veteran, that'll be $1.229MM, but by rule the Clippers are only on the hook for the two-year veteran's minimum of $854,389, with the league reimbursing the rest.
THURSDAY, 2:09pm: The Clippers have officially announced the move, Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 9:49am: Matt Barnes has informed the Clippers that he'll sign with them, according to SI.com's Sam Amick (via Twitter). It was Amick who reported yesterday that Barnes was leaning toward joining the Clippers and that he could finalize a deal with the team by week's end.
Amick's report yesterday indicated that the Heat, Lakers, and Nets were among the other teams in play for Barnes, who also had serious talks with the Knicks, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. Agent Aaron Goodwin told Zwerling that he spoke to the Knicks several times about Barnes, but that he believes coach Mike Woodson never got "truly on board" with the idea of adding the veteran wing.
Although the Clippers waived Ryan Gomes via the amnesty provision and let Nick Young walk in free agency, they added Jamal Crawford, Grant Hill, and Willie Green, and didn't appear to require more wing help. Still, Barnes will provide the team with added depth and versatility. When I looked at the top rebounders and outside shooters available in free agency a couple weeks ago, Barnes ranked in the top 10 in both categories.
Because the Clippers have already used both their mid-level and bi-annual exceptions, Barnes figures to be signing a minimum-salary deal. It's not clear yet whether or not it will be guaranteed.
Heat Sign Garrett Temple
THURSDAY, 3:40pm: The Heat have officially signed Temple, according to a team release.
TUESDAY, 5:55pm: The Heat have an agreement in principle to sign guard Garrett Temple, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The 6'6" Temple has played for the Rockets, Kings, Spurs, Bucks and Bobcats all in the course of two NBA seasons, the last of which was 2010/11. He also has 54 games of D-League experience and spent last year with Novipiu Casale Monferrato in Italy.
The deal is likely for the minimum, and probably is without a guarantee, meaning Temple will have to beat out another guard in training camp for a roster spot. He'll become the 19th player on the Heat's preseason roster.
Celtics Sign Rob Kurz
The Celtics have signed Rob Kurz to a non-guaranteed deal with a camp invite, according to SI.com's Sam Amick (via Twitter). The move brings the Celtics' roster to 17 players, including four on non-guaranteed contracts.
Kurz, a Notre Dame product, went undrafted in 2008 and appeared in 40 games for the Warriors in the 2008/09 season. The 27-year-old has spent the last few seasons overseas before joining the Kings' summer league squad in July.
Even with two roster spots potentially open, Kurz appears to be an extreme long shot to make the Celtics' roster, with Kris Joseph, Dionte Christmas, and Jamar Smith also competing for those open spots. If the 6'9" forward doesn't make the Celtics' regular-season roster, he could end up on the team's D-League affiliate in Maine.
Nets Sign Josh Childress
THURSDAY, 12:05pm: The Nets have officially signed Childress, according to a team release.
TUESDAY, 4:04pm: The Nets have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with Josh Childress, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times (via Twitter). Childress, who had been waived by the Suns back in July using the amnesty provision, will receive a non-guaranteed deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
We heard yesterday that Childress was scheduled to meet with Nets GM Billy King and coach Avery Johnson, in addition to working out for the team, so it appears both the meeting and workout went well. The Nets had been looking to add another player at small forward, and thought they had a deal with Donte Greene before Greene suffered an ankle fracture.
Since returning to the NBA with the Suns in 2010/11, Childress has been fairly unproductive in limited minutes, averaging 4.2 PPG and 2.8 RPG in 88 total contests. While his .540 FG% is very solid, Childress seems to have lost his long-range stroke. After shooting 36% from downtown in his first four seasons, he has hit just five of 40 three-point attempts over the last two years.
Still, Childress is only 29 years old and is a former sixth overall pick, so there's hope for a rebound. Between him and Andray Blatche, the Nets will have a pair of bounceback candidates in camp as they look to find this year's Gerald Green.
Manny Harris Signs With Ukranian Team
After getting waived by the Cavaliers in early July, guard Manny Harris has signed on with BC Azovmash of the Ukranian League, according to the team's official website. Harris is only 22 years old, but averaged just 6.7 points on 40% shooting for the Cavs last season.
An inability to play the point guard position combined with low shooting numbers was what probably signaled no major contract offers in the NBA for Harris this offseason. But given his age and the flashes of athleticism he's shown in limited time, if he can become a more efficient player overseas Harris' NBA career should be far from over.
Grizzlies To Sign Ronald Dupree
The Grizzlies have reached an agreement on a one-year contract with free agent Ronald Dupree, according to agent Mark Bartelstein (Twitter link via ESPN.com's Marc Stein). Terms of the deal aren't known, but I'd guess it's a non-guaranteed invite to training camp.
Dupree, 31, has appeared in 157 games for five teams over the course of his six-year NBA career. However, since playing in a handful of games for the Pistons and SuperSonics in 2007/08, the 6'7" forward has appeared in just three games, for the Raptors in 2010/11. Dupree, who played for the 2004/05 Pistons that fell to the Spurs in the NBA Finals, has averaged 3.5 PPG and 2.2 RPG in 11.2 MPG in his career.
Dupree will be the 15th player under contract for the Grizzlies, though only 13 of those deals are guaranteed. Dupree and D.J. Kennedy figure to be among the players with a chance to earn one of the final two roster spots, if Memphis heads into the season with a full 15-man roster.
Nets Sign Andray Blatche
WEDNESDAY, 3:19pm: The Nets have officially announced the signing in a press release.
TUESDAY, 10:30pm: The Nets and Blatche have finalized the deal, Josh Newman of SNY.tv reports.
SUNDAY, 12:18pm: Fred Kerber of the New York Post reports that Blatche "has other business that needs to be addressed first" before he finalizes his deal with the Nets, according to Miller. While it appears there are other options for Blatche, he's still likely to sign with the Nets this week, Kerber says. Rumors have linked him to the Heat and the Spurs since the Wizards used the amnesty clause to waive him in July.
FRIDAY, 1:40pm: Agent Andy Miller confirmed to Michael Lee of the Washington Post that Blatche has agreed to sign with the Nets and will finalize the deal sometime next week.
THURSDAY, 5:55pm: For most of the offseason, Blatche has been working out in Houston, Texas under the guidance of former NBA player John Lucas in hopes of landing an NBA deal for the upcoming season. According to Lucas, via Twitter, the forward has signed a contract with the Nets.
8:02am: Two sources close to Blatche tell Michael Lee of the Washington Post that the former Wizard has yet to make a decision, and that he's still considering an offer from the Heat. It's clear that Blatche hasn't signed anything yet, but based on the number of reports suggesting that at least a verbal agreement with the Nets is in place, I'd be surprised if he didn't end up with Brooklyn within the next few days.
WEDNESDAY, 8:51pm: Blatche's deal will be non-guaranteed, according to Howard Beck of the New York Times (via Twitter).
7:52pm: The Nets have agreed to terms with Andray Blatche on a contract, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The deal is for one year and is worth the minimum salary, according to Spears, who adds that Blatche and the Nets are expected to finalize the agreement early next week (Twitter link).
Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com reported last week that if the Nets signed Blatche, it was unlikely to be a guaranteed deal. ESPN.com's Marc Stein echoed that sentiment today, indicating that the Nets, who have 13 players on guaranteed contracts, prefer to fill their last two roster spots with non-guaranteed deals. So we'll have to wait and see how much, if any, of Blatche's deal includes guaranteed money.
Blatche is coming off a tremendously disappointing season in Washington, but has the upside to make the deal a worthwhile investment for the Nets. In the two seasons prior to 2011/12, Blatche averaged a very solid 15.3 points and 7.1 rebounds with a 17.2 PER in 30.5 minutes per game. However, those averages fell off to 8.5 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 10.6 PER, and 24.1 MPG in a '11/12 season plagued by conditioning issues.
Because the Wizards amnestied Blatche this summer, he'll continue to receive a salary well above the veteran's minimum from Washington for the next three years. For the Nets, assuming he earns a place on the regular-season roster, he'll come off the bench as a power forward and perhaps earn some minutes backing up Brook Lopez at center.
Thunder Sign DeAndre Liggins
The Thunder have officially signed DeAndre Liggins and Andy Rautins, according to a team release. We had heard that Rautins would receive a camp invite on a non-guaranteed deal, but the agreement with Liggins wasn't previously reported. I would guess Liggins will be a non-guaranteed contract as well.
Liggins, 24, spent his rookie season with the Magic after being drafted 53rd overall in 2011. The Kentucky product didn't see much action in Orlando, recording 115 total minutes in 17 games with the club. The team elected not to tender him a qualifying offer this summer, making him an unrestricted free agent.
The Thunder have 14 players on guaranteed deals, so it appears likely that Daniel Orton, Hollis Thompson, Liggins, and Rautins will be competing for the team's final roster spot.
Raptors Sign Dominic McGuire
WEDNESDAY, 8:50am: The Raptors have officially signed McGuire, according to a team release. McGuire will have at least some guaranteed money on his one-year deal, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star.
SUNDAY, 4:21pm: The Toronto Raptors have reached an agreement with free agent forward Dominic McGuire, according to a tweet from Yahoo! Sports columnist Adrian Wojnarowski. Late last week, Wojnarowski tweeted that the Nets were planning on bringing McGuire in for a workout, but it appears he's headed to their division rival.
The 6'9" defensive specialist should be a perfect fit with the plan head coach Dwane Casey's trying to set forth in Toronto. He's coming off one of the best seasons of his five-year career. With near-career best averages of 3.5PPG and 3.8RPG with the Warriors.
Wolves To Sign Will Conroy
Guard Will Conroy hinted at a deal with the Timberwolves earlier tonight on Twitter, and it appears that's exactly what's happening, as Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News reports that he'll receive a partially guaranteed contract from the team (Twitter link). It will likely be a minimum-salary deal for the former University of Washington teammate and close friend of Brandon Roy.
The 6'2" Conroy has had stints with the Grizzlies, Clippers and Rockets, the last of which came in 2009/10. He's totaled just six points and 16 assists in 12 NBA games, but has played extensively in the D-League since going undrafted in 2005. He averaged 12.6 points and 9.0 assists with a 14.7 PER in 23 games for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers last year.
The Wolves have been focusing their attention on big men of late, so the move may be largely a favor to Roy, much as the Knicks' signing of Chris Smith was seen as a favor to his brother, J.R. Smith. Roy used Conroy's Twitter account back in June to announce his intention to come back from retirement.