Free Agent Notes: Whiteside, Anderson, Foote
With the 2012/13 basketball season fast approaching both in North America and overseas, players still on the free agent market are looking to find jobs within the next few weeks. Here's the latest on a handful of players still in search of employment:
- The Timberwolves were "encouraged" by Hassan Whiteside's workout yesterday, but haven't decided whether to offer him a contract, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500.
- Kevin Anderson, who played his college ball at the University of Richmond, worked out with the Cavaliers this week, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando. After going undrafted in 2011, Anderson played in France last season.
- Jeff Foote had a brief NBA stint last season when the Hornets signed him to a 10-day contract, but he'll be heading overseas for the coming season. Lithiuanian team Zalgiris Kaunas announced today that they've signed the big man out of Cornell (translation via Sportando).
- In a piece for Ridiculous Upside, Gino Pilato says Allen Iverson, who still wants to return to the NBA, should consider playing in the D-League.
Nuggets Sign Quincy Miller
FRIDAY, 8:19am: Miller's deal is worth about $2.2MM over three years, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). It sounds like it's a minimum-salary deal, which would pay Miller $2,177,719 if he remained under contract for all three years. It's unlikely the deal is fully guaranteed.
Because the minimum salary exception can only be used to sign players for up to two years, the Nuggets figure to have used part of their mid-level exception to bring Miller on board.
THURSDAY, 4:22pm: The Nuggets have officially signed Miller, according to a team press release. It's not clear whether Miller simply accepted the team's required tender or whether the two sides worked out a different agreement, but either way, the Baylor product is now under contract.
9:53am: The Nuggets have ensured that Quincy Miller won't hit free agency this week by submitting a required tender for the 38th overall pick, according to Nate Timmons of Denver Stiffs. Agent Dwon Clifton confirmed to Timmons that Denver has tendered his client a non-guaranteed offer.
September 6th is the last day that NBA teams can tender contract offers to unsigned second-round draft picks in order to retain their draft rights. The player then has the opportunity to accept that one-year required tender, if he so chooses. By submitting the offer, the team also buys itself a little more time to negotiate further with the player, if he's unwilling to accept the tender.
According to Timmons, Clifton is confident that the two sides will work out a deal in the coming days, which seems to suggest that Miller isn't leaning toward just accepting the one-year, non-guaranteed deal. With 14 players on board so far, the Nuggets do have room to guarantee Miller's deal for their 15th roster spot.
As Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors noted this week when he looked at the contract statuses of this year's second-round picks, the Baylor wing is one of a few second-rounders that remains unsigned.
Odds & Ends: Warriors, Jazz, Rockets, Iverson
We've seen a sharp rise in the size of overseas contracts in recent years, and it seems that the Chinese Basketball Association has had about enough. Several CBA clubs are calling for an NBA-style salary cap to be instituted post-haste as the season gets underway in two months, writes Alastair Himmer of Reuters. The league has had a salary cap in years past, but with no luxury tax system in place, there was no real way to enforce it. Last year, Kenyon Martin signed a $2.7MM deal with the Xinjian Flying Tigers before leaving midway through the season. Here's tonight's look around the Association..
- Warriors coach Mark Jackson has promoted Darren Erman to the No. 3 assistant coach after the departure of Wes Unseld Jr., sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Unseld Jr. recently left Golden State to join Jacque Vaughn's staff in Orlando.
- The Jazz are still working to complete a buyout agreement with Raja Bell and sign second-round pick Kevin Murphy, but Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter) would be surprised if both situations aren't resolved before camp starts.
- The Jazz announced that Michael Sanders has been promoted to an assistant coach on Tyrone Corbin’s staff. Utah also agreed in principle with D-League coach and former Jazz scout Brad Jones to take over Sanders’ previous position as assistant coach in charge of player development.
- The Rockets have elevated Gersson Rosas to executive vice president of basketball operations, according to Mark Berman of FOX Houston. Rosas, who previously served as the club's vice president player personnel, was a finalist to become the next assistant GM of the Spurs.
- Former MVP Allen Iverson is reportedly thinking about playing if China if he cannot land an NBA deal, but Neil Hartman of CSNPhilly.com would like to see him call it a career. Iverson last appeared in an NBA game in February 2010 and turned down offers in Venezuela and the Dominican Republic last season.
- Robert Pera, the prospective new owner of the Grizzlies, is recruiting singer/actor Justin Timberlake to be a minority owner of his club, sources have told Marc Stein of ESPN.com. One source added that Timberlake is making "a meaningful investment into the team" and "plans to be active" with the club. A recent piece by Will Leitch of New York Magazine revealed that rapper Jay-Z owns just a fraction of one percent of the Nets.
- Kevin Willis celebrated his 50th birthday today and the former NBA center told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter) that he could still play 15-20 minutes a night and would return if a team was serious. Willis would easily eclipse Kurt Thomas and Grant Hill (both turn 40 in October) as the NBA's oldest player. With that said, it's extremely difficult to imagine a comeback for Willis at this stage.
- In an interview with HoopsWorld, free agent Sean Williams said that he isn't sure where his next NBA opportunity might come from and hasn't spoken with his agent recently. Late last week it was reported that the Knicks are considering the former first-round pick.
- Former University of Florida standout Taurean Green has signed with Italian team Sigma Barcellona, according to a report from Amnotizie.it passed along by Sportando. Green averaged 9.4 PPG, 2.0 RPG, and 3.9 APG for Turkish team Tofas Bursa last season.
Pacers Sign Sam Young, Sundiata Gaines
The Pacers announced that they have signed small forward Sam Young and point guard Sundiata Gaines. The press release also confirmed the signing of guard Blake Ahearn, whose deal reportedly comes with a partial guarantee.
Young became an unrestricted free agent in late June when the 76ers opted not to extend him a qualifying offer. The 27-year-old was traded from Memphis to Philadelphia at the deadline for the rights to Ricky Sanchez in a deal that allowed the Grizzlies to get below the luxury tax threshold. Young averaged 3.3 PPG and 1.8 RPG in 35 games for the two clubs last season.
Gaines, 26, established himself as a regular in the Nets rotation last season, serving as a backup to Deron Williams and playing alongside him as a two-guard at times. The veteran saw 13.9 minutes per contest, averaging 5.1 PPG, 2.2 APG, and 1.9 RPG.
Ahearn was the D-League's top scorer last season, averaging 23.8 PPG and 5.1 APG in 37 games for the Reno Bighorns. The 27-year-old has built a reputation as a sharpshooter and shot 40% from three-point range last year for Reno.
Magic Sign E’Twaun Moore
SEPTEMBER 6TH, 3:43pm: The Magic have officially signed Moore, according to a team release.
AUGUST 29TH, 7:58am: The deal is for the minimum, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. That means Moore, a second-year player, is in line for $762K this season and $884K in 2013/14.
AUGUST 28TH, 9:33pm: Both seasons are expected to be partially guaranteed for Moore, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel.
5:54pm: The Magic have reached agreement with guard E'Twaun Moore on a two-year deal, according to HoopsHype (via Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known.
Moore, 23, was a part of the three-team deal that sent Courtney Lee to the Celtics in July. The Rockets promptly waived the guard without absorbing any salary cap consequences as his salary was non-guaranteed. The former Purdue standout cleared waivers and received interest from multiple NBA teams in addition to a few clubs overseas.
As a rookie, the 55th overall pick became a semi-regular in Boston, averaging 8.7 minutes per contest in 38 games. Provisions in the collective bargaining agreement prevented Moore from re-signing with the Celtics until July 2013.
Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter) first reported that Orlando expected to reach a deal with Moore in the coming days.
Hawks Sign Mike Scott
3:26pm: GM Danny Ferry says Scott's contract includes some guarantees and that the rookie big man "will be on the team this year," tweets Cunningham.
3:00pm: The Hawks have officially signed Scott, according to a team press release. The two-year contract is for the minimum salary and includes "few, if any, guarantees," according to Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal Constitution.
12:27pm: The Hawks have agreed to terms on a two-year deal with second-round pick Mike Scott, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Scott, the 43th overall pick in June, was one of a handful of second-rounders who were not yet under contract for the coming season.
As we noted earlier today when we discussed Quincy Miller's contract offer from the Nuggets, today represents a deadline of sorts for second-round picks. If teams don't submit a required tender to their second-rounders, the players become free agents. Rather than tendering Scott a one-year offer, the Hawks agreed to terms on a multiyear contract, though I imagine it's only partially guaranteed.
Scott, 24, racked up 18.0 points and 8.3 rebounds per game while shooting 56.3% from the floor in his final year at the University of Virginia. The 6'9" forward will be the 14th player under contract for Atlanta.
Hornets Sign Darius Miller
The Hornets have officially signed second-round pick Darius Miller, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed, but according to Storyteller's Contracts, the 46th overall pick will receive a two-year deal worth the minimum salary that includes a guaranteed first year.
Miller, 22, was the last of six Kentucky players to be selected in June's draft. In his senior year, he helped lead the Wildcats to a national title, averaging 9.9 PPG on .474/.376/.797 shooting. He'll join Austin Rivers and college teammate Anthony Davis as rookies on this year's Hornets squad.
James Singleton To Sign In China?
Earlier this summer, we heard that former Magic guard Von Wafer was heading overseas for the coming season, agreeing to sign with the Xinjiang Flying Tigers in China. Now, it appears that another NBA free agent is joining him. Late last night, Wafer tweeted: "My boy James Singleton jus signed with us yes yes yes bro let's go grind time."
While there has been no confirmation from Singleton's camp that a deal with the Flying Tigers has been finalized, at least one Chinese report indicates an agreement has been reached, and the pieces fit — a month ago, it was reported that Singleton had turned down a one-year offer from the Wizards and, in his search for a multiyear deal, was considering four offers from Chinese teams.
Singleton, who has played in 243 career NBA games for the Clippers, Mavericks, and Wizards, finished the season strong in Washington last season. In his 12 contests for the club, he averaged 8.2 PPG and 6.8 RPG with a .547 FG% and a 19.6 PER.
When Wafer signed in China, agent Terrance Doyle noted that his client hoped to sign with an NBA team late in the season, after the CBA season comes to an end. However, it sounded as if Singleton was searching for at least a two-year contract wherever he signed, so he may not have the same priorities as Wafer.
Lakers Sign Greg Somogyi
THURSDAY, 8:12am: Somogyi's deal with the Lakers is non-guaranteed, confirms Ben Bolch of the Los Angeles Times.
WEDNESDAY, 6:21pm: In addition to adding former UCLA forward Reeves Nelson, the Lakers have signed undrafted rookie Greg Somogyi, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter). Both players were part of the Lakers' Summer League roster in Las Vegas.
Somogyi, who will turn 23 next month, never received more than limited minutes in his four years at UC Santa Barbara. The 7'3" center averaged 3.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks in 11.8 minutes per contest in his senior year before going undrafted this June.
Terms of Somogyi's deal weren't released, but I imagine the contract includes a partial guarantee at best. The big man will receive an invite to camp and should get a chance to earn a spot in a frontcourt that will include Dwight Howard, Pau Gasol, Antawn Jamison, Jordan Hill, and Earl Clark.
Lakers Sign Reeves Nelson
6:23pm: The Lakers have officially signed Nelson, according to Mike Trudell of Lakers.com (via Twitter).
8:47am: Reeves Nelson is set to sign a one-year, non-guaranteed deal with the Lakers, the forward tells Baxter Holmes of the Los Angeles Times. The UCLA product will go to training camp with the club after he inks the deal, which could potentially be worth about $700K.
Nelson auditioned for the Lakers prior to the 2012 draft and has been working out at the club's practice facility in El Segundo for the last three weeks. The 6'8" forward was once considered to be a potential first-round pick but saw his college career unravel before he was ultimately dismissed by the Bruins. Nelson hooked on with Lithuanian team BC Zalgiris for a five week stretch before being released.