Jon Diebler To Play In Turkey
Jon Diebler has signed to play for Pinar Karsiyaka in the Turkish league next season, agent Lance Young confirmed to Bob Baptist of The Columbus Dispatch. Diebler, whose NBA rights were traded to the Rockets last week in the Courtney Lee deal, played last season in Greece after the Blazers selected him 51st overall in 2011.
The 6'6" guard averaged 12.7 points per game and shot 50.2% from three-point range in the final season of a four-year career at Ohio State in 2010/11. A bruised thumb hampered his shooting in summer league play this month, and the Rockets encouraged him to spend another season overseas, Young said.
"(Rockets general manager) Daryl Morey told me they can see him on their roster in the future but this year is not the best time," the agent said.
Grizzlies Sign Hamed Haddadi
The Grizzlies have officially announced the re-signing of center Hamed Haddadi, tweets Chris Herrington of The Memphis Flyer (hat tip to Zach Lowe of SI.com). Terms are not known, but the deal is likely no greater than the one-year, $1.3MM contract Haddadi got from the team last year.
The 7'2" Haddadi, the NBA's first Iranian-born player, averaged 2.o points and 2.0 rebounds in 5.9 minutes of play, chipping in 0.7 blocks. Those figures closely mirror the four-year veteran's career numbers since Memphis signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2008.
Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal reported Thursday that Haddadi and the team were expected to come to terms soon, predicting the deal would be for close to the veteran's minimum of $915,852 for a fifth-year player. The Grizzlies hold Haddadi's Bird rights, but the team is over the tax threshold, so it's unlikely the 27-year-old gets a signficant raise.
Suns, Hornets, Wolves Complete Three-Team Trade
7:40pm: The amount of cash going to the Hornets from the Suns is about $1.15MM, tweets Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic.
12:16pm: The Suns, Hornets, and Timberwolves have officially completed a three-team trade that will send Robin Lopez to the Hornets and Wesley Johnson to the Suns, the teams announced today. Per a Hornets press release, the deal breaks down as follows:
- Hornets acquire: Robin Lopez (from Suns), Hakim Warrick (from Suns), cash (from Suns)
- Suns acquire: Wesley Johnson (from Timberwolves), Brad Miller (from Hornets), Jerome Dyson (from Hornets), 2013 first-round pick (from Timberwolves)
- Timberwolves acquire: 2013 second-round pick (from Hornets), 2014 second-round pick (from Suns), 2016 second-round pick (from Hornets)
Lopez is the only player changing hands who was not previously under contract, so New Orleans receives him as part of a sign-and-trade. His contract is for three years and about $15.3MM, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
Dyson's contract is non-guaranteed, and Miller, who has a partially-guaranteed deal, is expected to retire, so Phoenix will likely waive both of those players in the near future. The first-round pick the Suns acquire from the T-Wolves will be either the Wolves' or Grizzlies' pick depending on those teams' performances. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the details (via Twitter).
Two of the three picks the Timberwolves receive in the deal are ones they sent to the Hornets earlier this month. The 2013 second-rounder is Brooklyn's, the 2016 second-rounder is New Orleans', and the 2014 second-rounder is the Lakers, acquired by Phoenix in the Steve Nash trade.
Now that the trade is complete, Minnesota should have the cap space to finalize its signing of Andrei Kirilenko.
Raptors Re-Sign Alan Anderson
JULY 27TH: Anderson has re-signed with the Raptors, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). According to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link), it's a minimum-salary deal. It's not clear whether it's fully or partially guaranteed.
JULY 17TH: After signing him to a pair of 10-day contracts and then a rest-of-season deal in 2011/12, the Raptors will bring back Alan Anderson in 2012/13, tweets Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun. It's not clear whether Anderson's previous contract included a non-guaranteed season for the coming year, or if the Raps will re-sign him as a free agent. Either way, I would imagine Anderson will come to camp on a short-term, non-guaranteed contract.
Anderson, 29, saw his first NBA action since the 2006/07 season last year, and turned into one of the more successful 10-day contract signings of 2012. Anderson's efficiency numbers were negatively affected by a slump over the season's final four games, in which he shot just 18-of-59 (30.5%) from the floor. However, in 17 total games with the Raptors, the 6'6" wing started 12 contests, averaging 9.6 points in 27.1 minutes per game.
E’Twaun Moore Clears Waivers, Drawing Interest
FRIDAY, 4:44pm: Moore has cleared waivers and is free to sign with any team besides the Celtics. Agent Mark Bartelstein tells Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe (Sulia link) that several clubs are interested, and that he expects Moore to sign a new deal within a week or so. Moore playing overseas isn't likely, given the interest from NBA teams, says Bartelstein.
WEDNESDAY, 2:19pm: The Rockets have officially waived E'Twaun Moore, according to a press release announcing the signing of Omer Asik. Moore was acquired from the Celtics in the sign-and-trade deal for Courtney Lee, but wasn't a player Houston intended to keep. Because his contract for 2012/13 was non-guaranteed, the Rockets won't take a cap hit for releasing him.
Moore, the 55th overall pick in the 2011 draft, will be unable to re-sign with the Celtics until next July, but could draw interest from other clubs. Moore didn't have an overly impressive rookie season, but he received a decent amount of playing time in Boston (8.7 minutes per game in 38 contests), and is only 23 years old. The 6'4" guard spent his college career at Purdue, becoming the third-highest scorer in school history.
If Moore clears waivers, he'll be an unrestricted free agent.
Raptors Re-Sign Aaron Gray
JULY 27TH: The Raptors have officially re-signed Gray, according to a team release.
JULY 7TH: Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports reported that Aaron Gray has agreed to a two-year deal with the Raptors. The six-year veteran started in 40 games for Toronto last season, averaging 3.9 PPG, 5.7 RPG, and 16.6 MPG in a total of 49 games. Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun tweeted that he expects Gray to receive the team's "room exception", which should be about $2.5MM annually.
With former lottery pick Jonas Valanciunas expected to join the team next season, retaining Gray appears to set Dwane Casey's rotation at the center spot. The former center out of Pittsburgh grabbed at least 7 rebounds in 21 games during limited minutes, and could readily take some pressure off of Valanciunas as he gets acclimated with the NBA game.
Gray's most notable games last year include an 11-point, 11-rebound effort in 23 minutes against Dwight Howard in a loss to the Magic and a 12-point, 12-rebound performance in 30 minutes during a win against the Pistons.
Raptors Sign John Lucas III
The Raptors have officially signed John Lucas III, the team announced today in a press release. Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported last week that the two sides were in "serious talks," while Mark Deeks of ShamSports added over the weekend that Lucas' deal was expected to be for two years and $3MM, including a second-year team option.
Lucas, 29, was one of Derrick Rose's backups in Chicago last year, and Rose's nagging injuries meant that Lucas played a career-high 14.8 minutes per game, averaging 7.5 points and 2.2 assists. In Toronto, he'll be behind Kyle Lowry and Jose Calderon on the depth chart, though with Calderon on an expiring contract, Lucas could step into a larger role if the Spaniard is traded before or during the season.
The Raptors were able to sign Lucas after finalizing a deal to send James Johnson to the Kings. Clearing Johnson's $2.8MM cap figure from their books gave the Raptors plenty of space to sign Lucas to an annual $1.5MM salary.
Sixers Sign Royal Ivey
JULY 27TH: The Sixers have officially signed Ivey, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 17TH: The 76ers and Royal Ivey have agreed to terms on a contract, Philadelphia coach Doug Collins told reporters (including Tom Moore of PhillyBurbs.com). The years and dollars are unknown, but I'd be surprised if Ivey receives another more than a minimum-salary, one-year guarantee.
We heard last week that the Sixers were hoping to add one more big man and a veteran point guard to their roster this offseason. They ticked the former off their checklist by signing Kwame Brown, and the addition of Ivey appears to round out the team's July moves.
Ivey, 30, spent the last two seasons with the Thunder, seeing limited action at the point behind Russell Westbrook and Eric Maynor. This will be the second stint in Philadelphia for the former Longhorn, who has also seen action with the Hawks and Bucks since being drafted in 2004.
Timberwolves Sign Andrei Kirilenko
FRIDAY, 12:31pm: Having finalized the trade that removed Johnson's salary from their books, the Timberwolves have officially announced the signing of Kirilenko (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 4:51pm: The Timberwolves are "finalizing" a two-year, $20MM contract agreement with Andrei Kirilenko, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). The second year of the deal is expected to be a player option, adds Wojnarowski (via Twitter).
Minnesota is putting the finishing touches on a three-team trade with the Suns and Hornets that will allow the team to clear Wesley Johnson's $4.29MM salary from its books, creating the necessary cap space for Kirilenko. The terms of Kirilenko's deal appear to be a bit higher than originally thought, making him an even tighter fit, as we examined earlier. It seemed as though the Wolves could only afford about an $8MM first-year salary for Kirilenko, but it's possible they could clear additional room by adding players to the three-team trade.
The 31-year-old Kirilenko has averaged 12.4 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game in 10 NBA seasons, all with the Jazz. The Russian forward, who spent 2011/12 with CSKA Moscow, had drawn interest from the Nets and Warriors, but neither team had the capability to come close to a $10MM annual salary. The Nets were limited to giving him the veteran's minimum, while the Warriors are reluctant to use the full mid-level exception, since doing so would push them over the taxpaying threshold.
For the Wolves, the move gives them the sort of long-armed forward they missed out on when the Blazers matched the offer sheet to Nicolas Batum. Though the 6'9" Kirilenko is older, he comes on a much shorter deal and solidifies the team's status as a contender for a playoff spot, answering Kevin Love's recent appeal for a more competitive team.
Bulls Sign Nazr Mohammed
FRIDAY, 12:05pm: The Bulls have officially signed Mohammed, the team announced today in a press release.
SUNDAY, 8:42am: Nazr Mohammed and the Bulls are close to reaching an agreement on a contract, reports Peter Vecsey of the New York Post (via Twitter). The center considered joining the Nets after spending the last two seasons with the Thunder, but reached the decision to play in Chicago late Saturday night. With the addition of Mohammed, Omer Asik's tenure with the Bulls has come to a close as Chicago will presumably not match his offer sheet from the Rockets.
Mohammed, 34, hails from Chicago and will provide the Bulls with size and a defensive boost off the bench. The 14-year veteran averaged 2.7 PPG and 2.7 RPG in 63 games with Oklahoma City during the 2011/12 season. If Asik heads to Houston as expected, the Bulls would enter the 2012/13 season with only Taj Gibson returning as a member of the team's bench from one year ago.