Pelicans, E’Twaun Moore Agree To Deal
JULY 21st: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.
JULY 1st: The Pelicans have reached an agreement with free agent guard E’Twaun Moore, reports Scott Kushner of The Advocate (Twitter link). According to Kushner, Moore will sign a four-year, $34MM deal with New Orleans when the July moratorium ends. The deal won’t include any option years, Kushner adds (via Twitter).
In recent days, the Pelicans have been linked to several guards and wings, including Evan Turner, Jeremy Lin, and Tyler Johnson, among others. The team has now added a player at both positions — after reaching an agreement with forward Solomon Hill earlier today, they’ve now struck a deal with Moore, a combo guard.
Moore, 27, started a career-high 22 games for the Bulls, and was solid in that role, averaging 12.0 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in his starts, while shooting 46.2% on three-pointers. He’ll probably be a bench option in New Orleans, but the Pelicans front office is high on Moore, who met with GM Dell Demps today, per Kushner (Twitter link).
The Wolves were among the other teams to reach out to Moore today, though the Bulls had been viewed as the favorites to retain him until the Pelicans swooped in with a four-year offer.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Pacers Sign Aaron Brooks
JULY 21ST: The deal is official, the team announced via Twitter.
JULY 18TH: More than a week after reporting that the Pacers and Aaron Brooks were in “advanced discussions” on a one-year contract, Shams Charania of The Vertical tweets that the two sides have reached an agreement. According to Charania, it’ll be a one-year, $2.5MM deal for Brooks in Indiana.
A well-traveled NBA veteran, Brooks will be joining his sixth team, having already spent time with the Rockets, Suns, Kings, Nuggets, and Bulls. Most recently, the 31-year-old played 69 games for Chicago last season, averaging 7.1 PPG and 2.6 APG in a backup role.
In Indiana, Brooks will be a part of a revamped point guard depth chart, with Jeff Teague expected to be the starter. The Pacers acquired Teague in a three-way trade earlier this month that sent George Hill to the Jazz, and they don’t appear anxious to re-sign last season’s backup, Ty Lawson.
[RELATED: Indiana Pacers’ depth chart at RosterResource.com]
Despite an active offseason that has seen the club acquire Thaddeus Young and sign Al Jefferson, the Pacers remain under the cap, so they should be able to finalize the signing of Brooks using cap room, rather than any sort of exception.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bulls Sign Isaiah Canaan
JULY 20: The Bulls have formally announced their deal with Canaan. “We are excited to add Isaiah to our group,” GM Gar Forman said in a statement. “We feel his ability to knock down perimeter shots will be an asset to our team.”
JULY 12: The Bulls have reached a contract agreement with free agent Isaiah Canaan, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops relays (via Twitter). It will be a two-year pact worth $2.2MM, Scotto notes, though it is unclear how much, if any, guaranteed money will be included.
Canaan become an unrestricted free agent this offseason after the Sixers declined to tender him a qualifying offer worth $1,215,696. Canaan was just two starts and 34 minutes away from triggering the starter criteria this past season, but as a result of a torn left labrum he failed to log the necessary numbers. The qualifying offer needed to make him a restricted free agent this offseason would have jumped to $2,725,003, had he met the criteria.
The 25-year-old appeared in 77 games this past season, including 39 as a starter, averaging 11.0 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 25.5 minutes per outing while shooting .360/.363/.833 from the field.
Pelicans, Alonzo Gee Finalizing One-Year Deal
Less than a month after opting out of his previous contract with the Pelicans, Alonzo Gee is on the verge of signing a new deal with the team. Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter) that Gee and the Pelicans are finalizing a one-year contract, aiming to complete it within the next day or so.
Gee, 29, appeared in 73 games for New Orleans last season, starting 38 of those contests. His numbers were modest, as he averaged just 4.5 PPG and 3.4 RPG. However, he continued to provide value on defense and was efficient when given an opportunity on the offensive end (.518 FG%). Gee’s season ended a little early due to a ruptured right quadriceps muscle.
Last month, Gee was one of several players around the NBA to decline his player option in order to test the open market. The Alabama product would have earned about $1.379MM in 2016/17 if he had exercised his option, which was just a little more than his minimum salary. So unless his new deal is for the minimum, or it’s not fully guaranteed, it was probably the right call for him to opt out.
[RELATED: Pelicans’ free agent agreements, via our Free Agent Tracker]
The Pelicans have yet to finalize the free agent contracts they’ve agreed to so far this month, so it remains to be seen how exactly they’ll manage their cap situation. Even after factoring in the reported terms on deals for Solomon Hill, E’Twaun Moore, and other free agents, the team does appear to have a modest chunk of cap room left over, so we’ll see how much – if any – of that space is used for Gee.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rockets Sign Nene To One-Year Deal
JULY 20: Two weeks after striking an agreement, the Rockets have issued a press release formally announcing their deal with Nene.
JULY 6: The Rockets have agreed to terms with free agent big man Nene, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. According to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link), it will be a one-year deal for Nene. Wojnarowski adds that it will be worth $2.9MM, meaning Houston is probably using the room exception.
Houston has had an active July so far, striking four-year deals with Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon. With those two agreements, the team added outside shooting and scoring ability, but had yet to land a big man that could help protect the room. Nene should help make up for some of the rebounding and inside defense the Rockets lost when Dwight Howard opted out of his contract and agreed to join the Hawks.
[RELATED: Rockets’ free agent agreements, via our Free Agent Tracker]
Nene, who will turn 34 in September, has spent his 14-year NBA career so far with the Nuggets and Wizards, having played the last four-plus seasons in Washington. The veteran big man has seen his minutes decline over each of the last couple seasons, from 29.4 in 2013/14 to just 19.2 last year, but he continued to be a solid rotational piece for the Wizards, averaging 9.2 PPG, 4.5 RPG, 0.9 SPG, and a .544 FG%.
Although the Rockets should still have some cap room left, depending on what happens with free agents Donatas Motiejunas and Terrence Jones – and their cap holds – Nene’s reported $2.9MM salary signals that he’ll likely be signed using the $2.898MM room exception that under-the-cap teams receive. That will allow Houston to max out its room under the cap before finalizing Nene’s deal.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rockets Sign Second-Rounder Chinanu Onuaku
The Rockets have finalized a deal with second-round pick Chinanu Onuaku, reaching an agreement on a three-year contract, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. Houston used its last chunk of cap room on Onuaku, allowing the team to formalize the signing of Nene using its room exception.
As Bobby Marks of The Vertical tweets, the Rockets had $543,772 of cap room left to spare, and the minimum salary for a rookie is $543,471, meaning the team was able to squeeze in Onuaku with just $301 left over. The team could signed Onuaku to a minimum-salary contract after going over the cap, but such a deal would have been limited to two years. Instead, the former Louisville center receives a fully-guaranteed three-year pact, per Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link).
“It’s a pretty good deal for the kid,” agent Derrick Powell said, according to Feigen. “He’s 19 years old. He has an upside that fits the contract. I think it was important for us because we wanted Houston to commit to his growth. They’re very committed to him. They like him a lot. He’s worked his buns off. He’s very excited about his future with Houston.”
Onuaku, 19, is still raw, but showed plenty of promise during his sophomore season, averaging 9.9 PPG, 8.5 RPG, and 2.0 BPG for Louisville. Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.com ranked him as the 38th-best prospect in this year’s draft class, and the Rockets made him the 37th overall pick in last month’s draft.
Now that they’re over the cap, the Rockets will be limited to two-year, minimum-salary deals for the other undrafted rookies they’ve agreed to sign, including Gary Payton II, Kyle Wiltjer, and Isaiah Taylor.
Timberwolves Sign Jordan Hill
JULY 20: The Timberwolves have officially signed Hill, the team announced today (Twitter link).
JULY 13: The Timberwolves and free agent big man Jordan Hill have agreed to terms on a two-year contract, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). According to Wojnarowski, Hill’s new deal will be worth $8MM.
Hill, who will turn 29 later this month, appeared in 73 regular-season games for the Pacers last season, starting 11 of those games. In just over 20 minutes per contest, he averaged 8.8 PPG and 6.2 RPG, shooting 50.6% from the floor. A seven-year veteran, Hill previously spent time with the Knicks, Rockets, and Lakers.
For the Wolves, Hill is the second notable veteran big man to agree to terms with the team this month. Minnesota also struck a three-year deal with Cole Aldrich. While Aldrich and Hill aren’t exactly All-Star-caliber players, the team appears to be getting good value out of the duo. Based on the terms reported, Aldrich and Hill will average just over $11MM per season.
By comparison, Timofey Mozgov and Ian Mahinmi will be earning $16MM annually, while Bismack Biyombo will get $18MM per year — and all of those free agents signed longer-term deals than Aldrich or Hill.
[RELATED: Minnesota Timberwolves’ roster and depth chart at RosterResource.com]
Along with Aldrich, Hill will provide the Wolves with solid veteran depth in a frontcourt that also features Nikola Pekovic, Gorgui Dieng, Nemanja Bjelica, and reigning Rookie of the Year Karl-Anthony Towns.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Donald Sloan Signs With Chinese Team
10:58am: Sloan’s one-year deal with Guangdong will be worth $2.7MM, tweets Michael Scotto of The Associated Press.
10:21am: Veteran NBA free agent Donald Sloan will be taking his talents overseas for the coming season, according to his agency (Twitter link). Impact Sports Management announced that Sloan has signed a contract with the Guangdong Southern Tigers, a team in the Chinese Basketball Association.
Sloan, 28, appeared in a career-high 61 games for the Nets last season, starting 33 of them. In those contests, he averaged 7.0 PPG and 4.4 APG to go along with a respectable shooting line of .440/.384/.750. It’s known whether Sloan – who has also spent time with the Hawks, Cavaliers, Pacers, and Pelicans (when they were the Hornets) – drew any real NBA interest this offseason, but it appears his best offer came from overseas.
Guangdong, one of the top teams in the CBA last season, was led by a handful of former NBA players, including Yi Jianlian, Ike Diogu, and Will Bynum, a trio that combined to average 64.5 points per contest.
Terms of Sloan’s new deal with the club aren’t known.
Mavericks Sign Quincy Acy
JULY 20, 10:35am: The Mavericks have officially signed Acy, the team announced today.
JULY 14, 5:20pm: The contract will be for the league minimum and include a team option for the second season, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops tweets.
5:16pm: The Mavericks and unrestricted free agent Quincy Acy have come to terms on a contract, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (Twitter link). It will be a two-year deal for the forward, Charania adds, but the scribe makes no mention of the amount of the pact, nor if it includes any guaranteed salary. Acy opted out of his minimum salary contract with Sacramento back in April.
Acy, who’ll turn 26 in October, averaged 5.2 points and 3.2 rebounds in 14.8 minutes per game this past season, his second tenure with the Kings, who had him for most of the 2013/14 season. The Kings moved him in and out of the starting lineup this season, but he still wound up making 29 starts, his most ever.
He spent a year with the Knicks in between his stints with Sacramento, and Acy put up the best numbers of his career in 2014/15 with New York, averaging 5.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 18.9 minutes.
Clippers Sign Brandon Bass
JULY 19: The Clippers have officially signed Bass, according to the team’s website.
JULY 16: The Clippers have reached an agreement to sign Brandon Bass, sources tell Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link). It’ll be a one-year deal, presumably for the minimum, which is worth roughly $1.55MM, according to Dan Woike of the OC Register (Twitter link). Charania adds (full-length piece) the the Spurs had strong interest in bringing Bass aboard.
Bass spent last season with the Lakers, accumulating 7.2 points and 4.3 rebounds off the bench. He turned down a player option worth $3.135MM last month in order to become a free agent. At the time, Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors speculated that the Clippers could be a possible landing spot.
The Clippers already added Marreese Speights earlier in the month, so they now have plenty of veteran depth in the frontcourt behind DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin.