Cavaliers Sign Micheal Eric
4:25pm: Eric's deal is for three years, but the first season is just partially guaranteed and the second and third seasons are non-guaranteed, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
4:05pm: The Cavs have officially announced Eric's signing in a team release.
1:48pm: Rookie free agent Micheal Eric has signed a multiyear deal with the Cavaliers, according to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld (via Twitter). The terms of the contract aren't known, but it's probably reasonable to assume that 2012/13 is the only year with any guaranteed money for the Nigerian big man.
Eric, who averaged 9.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.1 blocks per game in his senior year at Temple, reportedly drew interest from a handful of teams leading up to the draft as a potential second-round pick.
Four Teams Finalize Dwight Howard Blockbuster
1:34pm: Ken Berger of CBS Sports has tweeted a number of the details on the traded draft picks in the deal. We've updated the list below to reflect the protection on those picks.
12:19pm: The Magic, Lakers, Nuggets, and 76ers have completed their trade call with the league office, making Dwight Howard a Los Angeles Laker, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The Magic officially announced the transaction in a press release this afternoon.
The details of the massive four-team swap can be found in our post from yesterday that tracked updates as they came in. But here's a quick recap of how the deal looks from each team's perspective based on what's been reported so far, with players' 2012/13 salaries in parentheses. If anything changes when the teams make their official announcements, we'll update this post to reflect that.
Orlando Magic
Acquire: Arron Afflalo ($7,750,000), Al Harrington ($6,687,400), Josh McRoberts ($3,135,000), Maurice Harkless ($1,731,960), Nikola Vucevic ($1,719,480), Christian Eyenga ($1,174,080), protected 2014 first-round pick from Nuggets1, protected 2015 first-round pick from Sixers2, protected 2017 first-round pick from Lakers3, Warriors' 2013 second-round pick from Nuggets, conditional 2015 second-round pick from Lakers4
Trade: Dwight Howard ($19,536,360), Jason Richardson ($5,799,625), Chris Duhon ($3,250,000), Earl Clark ($1,240,000)
The Magic also create a trade exception worth about $17.8MM in the deal, as outlined here.
Denver Nuggets
Acquire: Andre Iguodala ($14,968,250)
Trade: Arron Afflalo ($7,750,000), Al Harrington ($6,687,400), protected 2014 first-round pick from Nuggets1, Warriors' 2013 second-round pick
Philadelphia 76ers
Acquire: Andrew Bynum ($16,889,000), Jason Richardson ($5,799,625)
Trade: Andre Iguodala ($14,968,250), Maurice Harkless ($1,731,960), Nikola Vucevic ($1,719,480), protected 2015 first-round pick2
Los Angeles Lakers
Acquire: Dwight Howard ($19,536,360), Chris Duhon ($3,250,000), Earl Clark ($1,240,000)
Trade: Andrew Bynum ($16,889,000), Josh McRoberts ($3,135,000), Christian Eyenga ($1,174,080), protected 2017 first-round pick3, conditional 2015 second-round pick4
1 The lesser of the Nuggets' and Knicks' first-rounders.
2 Top-14 protected in 2015, 2016, top-11 in 2017, top-8 in 2018; if the pick still hasn't been conveyed after four years, the Magic will receive 2018 and 2019 second-rounders instead of a first-rounder. The pick cannot be conveyed until the Sixers meet their draft pick obligations to the Heat, which could delay the Magic from getting a first-round pick until 2017.
3 Top-5 protected in 2017 and 2018, unprotected in 2019. The pick cannot be conveyed until the Lakers meet their draft pick obligations to the Suns, which would prevent the Magic from getting a first-round pick if the Lakers fail to make the playoffs the next three years. If that takes place, the Magic will receive 2017 and 2018 second-rounders instead.
4 Top-40 protected; if the pick isn't conveyed in 2015, the Magic will not receive it.
Howard To Lakers, Bynum To 76ers In 4-Team Deal
11:18am: SI.com's Sam Amick tweets that McRoberts will be heading to Orlando in the deal, rather than to Denver. Wherever McRoberts ends up, it seems the Lakers will be shipping him out to make the salary figures work.
10:55am: Coon corrects himself (via Twitter), suggesting that Bynum's and Eyenga's salaries aren't quite enough to absorb Howard's and Duhon's. Here's how it looks from the Lakers' perspective, by my calculations:
- The team's $1,422,207 traded player exception acquired via Walton can absorb Clark's $1.24MM option.
- Bynum's $16,889,000 salary and Eyenga's $1,174,080 total $18,063,080. The Lakers can take back 125% (plus $100K) of that amount: $22,678,850.
- Howard's and Duhon's salaries ($19,536,360 and $3,250,000, respectively) total $22,786,360, just barely too much for the Lakers to absorb. So in order to take on both players, Los Angeles will have to either include another player (perhaps McRoberts or Ebanks) or figure out another way to organize the deal. Assuming, of course, that all the public salary figures for these players are accurate.
We should hear shortly how the Lakers ultimately work things out, since the conference call with the league to finalize the trade is expected to begin momentarily, tweets Ken Berger.
10:26am: Cap expert Larry Coon clarifies (via Twitter) that the trade exception the Lakers acquired when they dealt Luke Walton to the Cavaliers is big enough to absorb Clark's salary, so Los Angeles wouldn't necessarily have to send out any more players in addition to Bynum and Eyenga.
10:08am: The pick heading to the Magic from the Sixers will be lottery-protected for the first two years, top-11 protected in year three, and top-eight protected in year four, tweets Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Since the Sixers have already dealt their 2013 first-rounder (lottery protected) to Miami, presumably the one going to Orlando would be for 2015, as Sam Amick of SI.com notes. If the Magic don't get a first-rounder from Philadelphia after four years, they'd get two second-round picks instead, tweets Berger.
9:32am: According to Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld, Josh McRoberts may be headed to Denver in the four-way deal. This makes sense, since by my calculations, the Lakers would be unable to take back Howard, Duhon, and Clark without sending out another player in addition to Bynum and Eyenga.
8:49am: The first-rounder heading from the Lakers to Orlando will be the team's 2017 pick, while the first-rounder from Denver will be the lower of the club's two 2014 first-rounders, tweets TNT's David Aldridge. It's still not clear which first-round pick will be coming from the Sixers, but it figures to be 2015's, since their lottery-protected 2013 first-rounder is ticketed for Miami.
8:26am: Duhon is definitely involved in the four-way deal, as he tells Joshua Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 7:33am: According to Spears, one of the second-rounders heading to the Magic in the trade will be the Warriors' 2013 second-round pick, from the Nuggets (Twitter link). Orlando will receive one more second-rounder, to bring their total haul to five future draft picks, tweets Kennedy.
Additionally, multiple reports indicate that the conference call with the league to confirm the blockbuster deal will happen no later than about noon eastern today.
Ashton Gibbs Signs In Greece
Rookie free agent Ashton Gibbs has signed a one-year deal with Greek team Panionios B.C., tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld. Gibbs went undrafted in June after playing his college career at the University of Pittsburgh.
Gibbs, 22, averaged between 14.6 and 16.8 PPG in his last three seasons as a Panther. ESPN.com's Chad Ford ranked the point guard as a top-100 prospect in his draft class, including the 14th-best player at his position.
Bucks Sign Joel Przybilla To One-Year Deal
AUGUST 9TH, 12:40pm: The Bucks have officially signed Przybilla, the team announced today (Twitter link).
AUGUST 6TH, 10:15pm: The contract is a one-year, $1.35 million deal, tweets CSNNW.com's Chris Haynes.
9:03pm: Joel Przybilla has reached a verbal agreement to sign with the Bucks, tweets JournalTimes.com's Gery Woelfel.
AUGUST 3RD, 6:14pm: Jeff Caplan of ESPNDallas.com says the Mavericks, with 15 players already on the roster, seem like "a distant third" behind the Bucks and Trail Blazers in the competition for Przybilla. He adds that the Mavs have expressed interest in Przybilla ever since the free agent period began July 1st, and that the team was among those interested in signing him at midseason in 2011/12.
1:32pm: Unrestricted free agent Joel Przybilla is expected to make a decision at some point this afternoon or evening on where he'll play in 2012/13, a source tells SI.com's Sam Amick. As Amick notes, Przybilla's options appear to be the Trail Blazers, Mavericks, and the Bucks — we heard earlier today that Milwaukee was considered the frontrunner.
While all three clubs have some form of mid-level or room exception available, I would imagine Przybilla won't land more than a minimum-salary contract. When he eventually signed for the 2011/12 season, the 32-year-old earned a prorated portion of the veteran's minimum from the Blazers. In 27 contests for Portland, the big man played 16.6 minutes per game, averaging 2.0 points and 5.1 rebounds.
If Przybilla signs with the Bucks, he and Samuel Dalembert will be the only true centers on the roster. However, the team has a few other guys that could play in the middle, including Ekpe Udoh and Drew Gooden.
Cavaliers Sign C.J. Miles
THURSDAY, 8:18am: Miles' deal with the Cavs will pay him $2MM per year, with a team option for the second season, according to Jason Lloyd of the Akron Beacon Journal.
WEDNESDAY, 3:12pm: The Cavaliers have officially signed Miles, the team announced in a press release.
2:22pm: Miles has passed his physical, acording to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter). The Cavs have yet to officially announce the signing, but should do so soon.
FRIDAY, 11:10am: Miles and the Cavs have agreed to terms on a deal, says Smith in his story for the Salt Lake Tribune.
10:41am: After drawing interest from a handful of teams, including the Lakers and Bucks, C.J. Miles is expected to sign with the Cavaliers, according to Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune (via Twitter). Smith adds that Miles' bond with Cavs coach Byron Scott influenced his decision and that his contract is expected to be for two years (Twitter links).
Cleveland is one of the few remaining NBA teams that has a decent chunk of cap space at its disposal, so Miles figures to be signed using some of that space. The Cavs should be somewhere in the neighborhood of $10-15MM under the cap, though obviously the 25-year-old won't receive a salary that large.
According to Smith, the Rockets and Mavericks were among the other teams interested in Miles this summer (Twitter link). The seven-year veteran has spent his entire NBA career with the Jazz until this point, with his career year coming in 2010/11 when he averaged 12.8 points and 14.4 PER in 25.2 minutes per contest.
Restricted free agent Alonzo Gee has yet to re-sign with the Cavs or sign an offer sheet with another club, but Miles' deal with Cleveland doesn't necessarily mean Gee won't be back. Terry Pluto of the Cleveland Plain Dealer noted earlier this week that even as the Cavs were pursuing players like Miles and Carlos Delfino, the team remained very open to retaining Gee.
Magic Sign Kyle O’Quinn
THURSDAY, 8:10am: O'Quinn's deal with the Magic will pay him a guaranteed $788K in year one, with non-guaranteed salaries in years two and three, according to Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. Because he's making more than the rookie minimum, O'Quinn's salary will come out of the Magic's $5MM mid-level exception, which the team had yet to use.
WEDNESDAY, 8:07pm: Kyle O'Quinn has signed a three-year, $2.5MM deal with the Magic, his agent tells Adam Zagoria of SNY TV (via Twitter). Orlando drafted the forward in the second-round with the 49th overall pick. It's not yet known if the contract is partially or fully guaranteed.
O'Quinn, 22, emerged as an NBA prospect beginning in his junior campaign at Norfolk State. As a senior, O'Quinn put up 15.9 PPG and 10.3 RPG for the Spartans as he led them to a remarkable upset over No. 2 Missouri in the first-round of the NCAA tournament. While the power forward was counted on for offensive production in college, he stands out for his strong defensive play and was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year last season.
Suns Claim Luis Scola
AUGUST 8, 6:05pm: The Suns will pay Scola $4.15MM this year, $4.5MM in 2013/14 and a partially guaranteed $4.87MM in 2014/15, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (via Twitter).
JULY 16, 3:49pm: A source tells SI.com's Sam Amick (Twitter link) that the winning bid for Scola was actually $13.5MM for three years. Either way, Phoenix will be paying for the forward between $4MM and $5MM annually.
JULY 15, 9:35pm: An NBA source has confirmed that the Suns' winning bid was $13MM for three years, tweets Mary Schmidt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. She also confirmed that the Cavaliers did submit a bid.
Bulls Sign Marquis Teague
WEDNESDAY, 1:05pm: The Bulls have officially announced Teague's signing in a press release.
TUESDAY, 2:07pm: Teague has signed his rookie contract, according to K.C. Johnson of the Chicago Tribune. The first-round pick ultimately signed a deal for 100 percent of his slotted salary in the first year, $857K, according to sources. The following years are expected to be at the 120 percent slotted salary.
The Bulls are left with just $758K under the hard cap, meaning that they do not have enough money to add someone at the $857K veteran's minimum.
MONDAY, 8:06am: Marquis Teague is the only remaining unsigned first-round pick, but this weekend the 29th overall selection gave indication that he and the Bulls are nearing a deal. The University of Kentucky product spoke to Kyle Tucker of the Louisville Courier-Journal while assisting with a youth basketball camp at his alma mater.
“I’m about to get it figured out when I go back," Teague said. "We just pretty much came up with something. So as soon as I go back to Chicago, it’ll be done. We’re right there. We’ll figure it out.”
Mark Deeks of ShamSports speculated last week that the sides were hung up over the Bulls' desire to pay him less than the standard 120% of the rookie scale amount, which would be a first-year salary of $1,028,400 in Teague's case. NBA teams almost always give their first-round picks the maximum allowable amount, but there are exceptions. The Bulls are hard-capped at $74.3MM for 2012/13 after using more than the taxpayer's mid-level of $3.09MM to sign Kirk Hinrich, so saving every penny will be a priority for Chicago this season.
Teague averaged 10.0 points and 4.8 assists in 32.6 minutes per game on a loaded Kentucky team this past season. He's the brother of Jeff Teague of the Hawks.
Daniel Orton Signs With Thunder
The Thunder have announced the signing of center Daniel Orton, reports Darnell Mayberry of The Oklahoman. The deal is non-guaranteed, and he's not assured of a spot on the opening night roster, meaning the move is little more than an invitation to training camp, as Mayberry writes. The contract is probably for the minimum salary. If Orton, the 29th overall pick by the Magic in 2010, doesn't make the team, he'll likely be assigned to the Tulsa 66ers, the Thunder's D-League affiliate.
Orton missed his entire rookie season after undergoing arthoscopic surgery on his left knee, and appeared in just 16 regular season games last year, averaging 2.8 points and 2.4 rebounds in 11.7 minutes of play. The Magic didn't pick up his option for a third season on his rookie deal, making him an unrestricted free agent this summer. The Thunder already have the maximum 15 players on the roster, so Orton faces an uphill climb if he is to start the season in Oklahoma City. If he were to make it, the likely casualty would be Hollis Thompson, the only player on the roster whose contract isn't fully guaranteed for 2012/13.
The Thunder have kept an eye on the 6'10" Oklahoma City native, as we heard more than a month ago that he was possible target for the team.