Meeks, Young, Silas To Become Unrestricted FAs
The 76ers did not extend formal qualifying offers to Jodie Meeks, Sam Young, or Xavier Silas, meaning all three players will become unrestricted free agents, says John Finger of CSNPhilly.com. Having played in the NBA for three years or less, each Sixer was eligible for restricted free agency, had Philadelphia made the necessary qualifying offers.
Meeks, who met the starter criteria, would have required a one-year offer of close to $2.7MM, while the other offers for the other two players would have been more modest — about $1.48MM for Young and $962K for Silas.
Cavaliers Reach Agreement With Kevin Jones
The Cavaliers and Kevin Jones have reached an agreement on a three-year, partially-guaranteed contract, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv (via Twitter). Jones, a 6'8" forward from West Virginia, went undrafted on Thursday night, despite being ranked as this year's 45th-best prospect by ESPN.com's Chad Ford.
Ronny Turiaf To Opt Out Of Contract
Ronny Turiaf will not exercise his option to remain with the Heat, choosing instead to become an unrestricted free agent, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Had Turiaf picked up his option, he would have been under contract for another year at $1.2MM.
Turiaf was traded from the Wizards to the Nuggets at the deadline for salary-matching purposes in the JaVale McGee/Nene deal. After Denver released him, the 29-year-old signed with Miami for the team's playoff run, inking a contract that included a player option as an "insurance policy." While Turiaf wasn't overly productive in the regular season or playoffs with Miami, he at least showed he was healthy, which should earn him more than a $1.2MM guarantee on the open market.
Qualifying Offers: Friday
With the NBA's 2012 free agent period just two days away, teams continue to extend qualifying offers to free agents in order to make them restricted. If a qualifying offer is not tendered to a player eligible for restricted free agency, he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Players who are tendered qualifying offers have the option to accept the one-year contract and hit unrestricted free agency a year from now, but the primary purpose of the offers are to ensure that the player's team can match any offers for him this summer. We'll track today's qualifying offer updates right here, with the latest added to the top of the page….
- The Cavs have made a qualifying offer to Luke Harangody, according to the joint Twitter account of Plain Dealer writers Mary Schmitt Boyer and Jodie Valade. The tender is expected to be around $1.05MM.
Earlier updates:
Jameer Nelson Opts Out Of Contract
10:38pm: Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel spoke with Nelson, who explained his decision.
"I would love to re-sign with Orlando," Nelson said. "I would love to. I have to make the best decision — what's best for myself and my family. But I want to continue to be a Magic player and be affiliated with the organization and the DeVos family and everything they're about."
6:51pm: Jameer Nelson has informed the Magic he's turning down his option for next season and will become an unrestricted free agent, Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel tweets. Nelson was in line to make $7.6MM in the final season of a five-year deal. Nelson joins a crowded class of veteran unrestricted free agent points that includes Deron Williams, Steve Nash and Chauncey Billups, among others.
Jazz To Retain DeMarre Carroll, Jamaal Tinsley
8:48pm: The Jazz will pick up its option on Tinsley, Smith confirms (Twitter link).
7:33pm: Smith tweets that the Jazz will pick up Tinsley's option, while Kennedy says via Twitter that the situation is now uncertain despite the team having told Tinsley earlier today that they would decline the option. The two sides will speak tonight, according to Kennedy.
7:29pm: The Jazz will retain forward DeMarre Carroll, tweets Brian T. Smith of The Salt Lake Tribune, while HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets that the Jazz will turn down its $1.35MM option on point guard Jamaal Tinsley. Smith refers to the Carroll move as the team picking up an option, but Carroll's contract was actually non-guaranteed for next season. In any case, the Jazz will have Carroll at the minimum $885,120 for 2012/13.
Odom To Clips, Williams To Jazz In 4-Team Deal
The four-team deal between the Jazz, Mavericks, Clippers and Rockets that sends Lamar Odom to the Clippers and Mo Williams to Utah has been finalized, according to a release by the Mavs.
Shawne Williams Exercises Player Option
Shawne Williams has officially exercised his player option for next season and will remain under contract with the Trail Blazers for another year, reports Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. Haynes first reported in April that Williams would pick up his 2012/13 option, worth about $3.14MM.
O.J. Mayo To Become Unrestricted Free Agent
The Grizzlies will not extend a qualifying offer to O.J. Mayo to make him a restricted free agent, reports Ronald Tillery of the Memphis Commercial Appeal (via Twitter). The decision means that Mayo will become an unrestricted free agent and can sign with any team, without the Grizz having the opportunity to match offers.
Vernon Macklin Becomes Unrestricted Free Agent
The Pistons did not extend a qualifying offer to Vernon Macklin, tweets Vince Ellis of the Detroit Free Press. As such, the power forward will become an unrestricted free agent, and Detroit won't have the opportunity to match any offers. Ellis adds, via Twitter, that the Pistons are "really high" on Macklin, and could re-sign him, but may not have the roster space.
Macklin, Detroit's second-round pick a year ago, played in 23 contests for the team, averaging 2.0 PPG and 1.5 RPG in 5.9 MPG. To make him a restricted free agent, the Pistons would have had to tender him a one-year qualifying offer worth about $962K.