Raja Bell, Jazz Agree To Contract Buyout
After reporting last night that the Jazz were close to reaching a buyout agreement with Raja Bell, Brian T. Smith of the Salt Lake Tribune confirms that the two sides have reached a verbal agreement on a contract buyout. Once the deal is made official and Bell becomes an unrestricted free agent, he'll be free to sign with any team in the league, and the veteran says he intends to explore all his options.
International Moves: Krstic, Kirilenko, Wafer
Behind 25 points from Ike Diogu, Nigeria defeated the Domincan Republic on Sunday for the final spot in the Olympics. The international game will garner plenty of attention over the next month or so, and tonight there's news about a few former, and perhaps future, NBA players as they make their decisions concerning pro teams overseas. Here's the latest:
Kings Reach Agreement With Jason Thompson
The Kings and Jason Thompson have agreed to terms, reports Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee. It's a multi-year deal worth $6MM per season, Jones tweets, while the precise length of the contract remains unclear The two sides had been close to an agreement earlier today, so the move comes as little surprise. The move will become official after the moratorium on signing ends Wednesday.
Geoff Petrie, the team's president of basketball operations, indicated the Kings aren't done dealing in the wake of the Thompson agreement and missing out on Ryan Anderson, who agreed today to go to the Hornets in a sign-and-trade.
J.J. Redick’s Contract To Become Guaranteed
The Magic have until 11:00pm Central time tonight to waive J.J. Redick without having to pay his $6.19MM salary for next season, but the team will keep him aboard, tweets Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel. This coming season will be the last year of a three-year, $20.19MM deal, and the Magic could use his expiring contract as a trade chip, as Robbins notes (Twitter link).
A.J. Price To Become Unrestricted Free Agent
The Pacers will renounce their rights to A.J. Price, making him an unrestricted free agent, tweets David Aldridge of TNT. The Pacers had tendered a qualifying offer of about $1.09MM to Price, but presumably that deal is now off the table. The move should have a neglible effect on Indiana's ability to match the Blazers' offer sheet to Roy Hibbert and go after other free agents.
Wizards Sign Bradley Beal
The Wizards have officially signed Bradley Beal, the third-overall selection of this year's NBA Draft. Michael Lee of The Washington Post reports that the 19-year-old shooting guard is guaranteed around $7MM over the first two years of his contract, with two consecutive team options in his third and fourth year.
Suns Pull Qualifying Offer To Aaron Brooks
SATURDAY, 5:38pm: According to a tweet by Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, the Suns have officially withdrawn their qualifying offer to Brooks, making him an unrestricted free agent.
3:10pm: Kennedy and Brooks have deleted their tweets, and Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle, reporting mutual interest between Brooks and the Rockets, refers to Brooks as a restricted free agent. So, it appears the issue has not yet been finalized.
2:04pm: Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld confirms the Suns have withdrawn the qualifying offer, making Brooks an unrestricted free agent (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 10:45pm: It appears that the Suns have withdrawn their qualifying offer to Aaron Brooks after the guard sent out a tweet reading, "Unrestricted :-)." If Phoenix has in fact pulled the qualifying offer from Brooks, he is now an unrestricted free agent.
Bobcats Sign Michael Kidd-Gilchrist
The Bobcats have signed Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the No. 2 overall pick from last month's draft, the team said in a statement. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer pegs his salary at about $4MM for the coming season, but Kidd-Gilchrist is eligible for up to $4,602,720, which is 120% of the slotted amount for his position in the draft.
Most first-round picks sign for that 120% maximum, and it seems unlikely Kidd-Gilchrist would get anything less than that. A 6'7", 233-pound small forward who's known for his defense, Kidd-Gilchrist averaged 11.9 points and 7.4 rebounds in his lone season at Kentucky this year, teaming with No. 1 overall pick Anthony Davis to lead the Wildcats to the national championship.
Larry Miller Resigns As Blazers President
Blazers president Larry Miller has resigned, reports Jason Quick of The Oregonian. Miller is leaving to join Nike as president of Brand Jordan, a job he held from 1999-2006, Quick adds.
Warriors Sign Festus Ezeli
The Warriors have officially signed Festus Ezeli to a rookie contract, the team announced today in a press release. The rookie scale amount for the 30th overall pick is $850,800, so Ezeli is eligible to sign for up to 120% of that amount ($1,020,960).
Ezeli is the second of the Warriors' two first-rounders to sign, as the team announced earlier this week that it had locked up seventh-overall pick Harrison Barnes.