Donte Greene To Become Unrestricted Free Agent
Two days after extending a qualifying offer to restricted free agent Jason Thompson, the Kings have decided not to do the same for Donte Greene, effectively making the former Syracuse Orangeman an unrestricted free agent come July 1st. Greene tweeted on Wednesday night, thanking the Sacramento fans for their support.
Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee posted a reaction to the decision to let Greene walk. Greene spent four seasons in Sacramento, averaging 6.1 PPG in limited minutes. Similar to his time at Syracuse, Greene was never able to fulfill the potential that his 6'11" frame promised. Still only 24, Greene is still a good bet to land an NBA job this offseason.
Anthony Parker Set To Retire
Cavaliers shooting guard Anthony Parker has announced his retirement, writes Mary Schmitt Boyer of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. This is no surprise to Cavs fans, as the 37-year-old hinted that this would be his last season as recently as April. Parker played nine seasons in the NBA with the last three coming in Cleveland. Parker also spent time playing overseas from 2000-2006. His final career averages are 9.1 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game. Parker said the following through an e-mail:
"I wanted to make that decision after the season and make sure that is what I wanted to do. I'm at peace with it and excited for whatever the future has for me."
Jamal Crawford Opts Out Of Contract
JUNE 27TH, 7:50pm: Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com caught up with Jamal Crawford who confirmed that he did in fact opt out despite initially being agreeable to a trade. He said that after consulting with his family, he decided to go the free agent route in hopes of securing a long-term deal:
"I wanted to experience free agency truly for the first time. The last two years I've essentially played on one-year contracts and I can't do that to my family anymore. I want a multiyear deal," Crawford said.
Jason Maxiell To Remain With Detroit
Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News tweets that Jason Maxiell has decided not to opt out of the final year of his contract, locking him into a $5MM salary in Detroit next year. Last we heard from Maxiell, the Pistons big man and his agent were considering testing free agency.
Maxiell has been limited in his effectiveness over seven seasons on the Detroit bench and probably assumed that leaving $5MM on the table would not be very prudent. He signed a four-year, $20MM extension with the Pistons that took effect in the 2008/09 season. Maxiell will hit free agency after next season.
Bucks Acquire Samuel Dalembert
5:01pm: The swap also includes a future second-round pick heading to the Bucks, according to the team's official PR Twitter feed.
2:31pm: The Bucks have acquired Samuel Dalembert in a trade with the Rockets, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Dalembert heads to Milwaukee along with the No. 14 pick, in exchange for Jon Brockman, Jon Leuer, Shaun Livingston, and the No. 12 pick, tweets Wojnarowski.
Patty Mills Declines Player Option
The deadline for Patty Mills to opt into his player option for 2012/13 has passed, and he will become a free agent, reports Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News. The decision comes as no surprise and doesn't necessarily mean Mills won't return to San Antonio. The option was for the minimum salary (about $885K), which the point guard should be able to surpass on the open market.
Knicks Extend Qualifying Offers To Lin, Fields
The Knicks have officially tendered qualifying offers to Jeremy Lin and Landry Fields, making them restricted free agents, tweets Al Iannazzone of Newsday. The move allows the Knicks the opportunity to match any offer either player receives this summer.
Pacers Name Walsh President, Pritchard GM
The Pacers have made their front office changes official, announcing at a press conference this morning that Larry Bird will step down as president of basketball operations. Donnie Walsh will take over for Bird as the team's president, while Kevin Pritchard will replace David Morway and become the team's new general manager, tweets Mike Wells of the Indianapolis Star.
Nets Extend Qualifying Offer To Brook Lopez
The Nets have officially extended a one-year qualifying offer to Brook Lopez, making him a restricted free agent, GM Billy King confirmed today (Twitter link via Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News). Because Lopez met the starter criteria, as defined by the CBA, his qualifying offer will be worth around $4.39MM.
The big man could choose to accept the one-year offer and become an unrestricted free agent next summer, but he's far more likely to sign a multiyear deal this offseason. Having tendered the qualifying offer, the Nets will have a three-day window to match any offer sheet Lopez signs.
Deron Williams Declines Player Option
As expected, Deron Williams has officially decided not to pick up his player option for the 2012/13 season, according to Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). The decision means that Williams will hit unrestricted free agency this weekend, and will be eligible for a maximum salary of about $17.18MM, rather than the $17.78MM his option was worth, as I outlined here.
Here are a few more updates on this summer's top free agent: