Tyler Johnson Signs Offer Sheet With Nets
JULY 7TH, 1:20am: Johnson has signed the offer sheet, Wojnarowski tweets. Miami will have three days to match Brooklyn’s offer.
JULY 3RD, 11:18am: The Nets will extend a $50MM offer sheet to Miami restricted free agent guard Tyler Johnson, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical. The four-year offer, which Johnson has agreed to sign, has a player option for the final season, tweets TNT’s David Aldridge.
Miami will have three days to decide whether to match the offer once Johnson signs it, which can happen as soon as the moratorium is lifted on Thursday. The deal is heavily backloaded, tweets Miami-based capologist Albert Nahmad, with Johnson receiving $5.628MM in the first season and $5,881,260 in the second, followed by $18,858,765 in season three and $19,631,975 in season four.
The Heat’s decision on Johnson will be heavily influenced by what happens with Kevin Durant, who is meeting with Miami officials today, and Dwyane Wade, who is reportedly talking to other teams after being unhappy with the Heat’s initial offer. If Miami matches Brooklyn’s offer, its cap hit will be equal to Johnson’s yearly salary, Nahmad tweets. If he goes to Brooklyn, the Nets will have a $12.5MM cap hit each year.
Hornets To Sign Brian Roberts
Brian Roberts will return to the Hornets as a reserve point guard, tweets Rick Bonnell of The Charlotte Observer. The 30-year-old will receive a veteran’s minimum contract.
Roberts spent a season and a half in Charlotte before being traded twice in February. The Hornets sent him to the Heat on February 16th in a three-team deal that brought back Courtney Lee, and Miami shipped him to the Blazers in a cap-clearing move two days later.
Roberts appeared in 30 games last season with the Hornets, averaging 4.8 points and 1.3 assists in 11.1 minutes per night. His playing time was cut almost in half in Portland, and his per-game averages dropped to 2.9 points and 0.8 assists.
Timberwolves Sign Brandon Rush
FRIDAY, 11:11am: The Timberwolves have officially signed Rush, the team announced today (Twitter link).
WEDNESDAY, 1:34pm: As free agents around the league express interest in heading to Golden State, at least one veteran Warriors free agent is headed elsewhere. According to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link), Brandon Rush has agreed to sign with the Timberwolves. Michael Scott of The Associated Press tweets that it’ll be a one-year, $3.5MM deal for Rush.
Rush, who turns 31 tomorrow, appeared in 75 regular-season games for the Warriors last season, the first time he had eclipsed the 70-game mark since the 2009/10 campaign. Although he stayed healthy for most of the year, Rush was only a part-time contributor for Golden State’s 73-win team — he started 25 games, but averaged less than 15 MPG overall for the season.
[RELATED: Minnesota Timberwolves’ depth chart at RosterResource.com]
While Rush has never been a big-time scorer, having never posted a double-digit scoring average for a season, he’s a talented shooter. In 2015/16, he knocked down 41.4% of his three-pointers, increasing his career rate to 40.3%.
Minnesota had added a point guard (Kris Dunn) in the draft and a big man (Cole Aldrich) in free agency, but had yet to address its need for a shooter, and Rush certainly fits that bill. Before agreeing to terms with Rush, the Wolves had been linked to players like Jamal Crawford, Kent Bazemore, Courtney Lee, and Randy Foye. All of those free agents except for Foye have reached agreements with other teams.
Rush had been considered a candidate to return to the Warriors on a minimum-salary deal, but such a contract would have only paid him about $1.4MM, and he may not have had an increased role. In Minnesota, the former Kansas standout should get every opportunity to contribute, given the club’s lack of shooting depth, and will do so on a higher salary.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nets Rescind Markel Brown’s Qualifying Offer
The Nets have rescinded their qualifying offer for Markel Brown, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (via Twitter). The move comes with only about 10 hours until the July moratorium ends, meaning Brown will be free to sign a contract with any team tomorrow.
Brown, 24, has spent the last two seasons in Brooklyn, averaging 5.3 PPG, 2.1 RPG, and 1.2 APG in his 109 total contests with the club. He played sparingly during the 2015/16 season until after Lionel Hollins was dismissed as the Nets’ head coach, and saw his minutes – and his production – increase down the stretch. In his final 30 games of the season, Brown averaged 9.4 PPG, 2.8 RPG, 2.1 APG, and shot .438/.358/.758, a significant improvement on his career marks.
The Nets will still have Early Bird rights if they want to retain Brown, but won’t have the right of first refusal if he decides to sign elsewhere.
Warriors Sign Patrick McCaw
JULY 6: The Warriors have issued a press release announcing that they’ve officially signed McCaw to his first NBA contract.
JUNE 24: Former UNLV shooting guard Patrick McCaw has become the first player from this year’s draft class to reach a contract agreement with his new team. According to Shams Charania of The Vertical (Twitter link), McCaw has agreed to terms with the Warriors on a guaranteed, two-year, minimum-salary deal.
McCaw, who left UNLV after his sophomore season, came off the board 38th overall on Thursday night, after the Warriors sent $2.4MM to the Bucks to acquire the pick. After the draft, Golden State general manager Bob Myers indicated that the team had a first-round grade on McCaw (Twitter link via Rusty Simmons of The San Francisco Chronicle).
Because McCaw will only be signing a two-year contract, the Warriors figure to use the minimum salary exception to complete the deal, which will allow the club to sign the rookie without using any cap room or a larger exception. He’ll be in line for a salary of $543,471 in 2016/17, with a second-year salary of $905,249.
The arrivals of McCaw and first-round pick Damian Jones figure to make it easier for the Warriors to let go of veteran free agents at their positions. Anderson Varejao, Brandon Rush, and Leandro Barbosa are among the Warriors bench players whose contracts are expiring.
Wizards To Sign Jason Smith
The Wizards and unrestricted free agent Jason Smith have agreed to a deal, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). It will be a three-year, $16MM pact, J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets. Smith has a player option for the final season, Michael adds.
The 30-year-old big man spent the 2015/16 campaign with the Magic, appearing in 76 games and averaging 7.2 points, 2.9 rebounds and 0.8 assists in 15.5 minutes per outing. Smith’s shooting line on the year was .485/.250/.806.
In Smith, Washington adds a big man capable of stretching the floor with his shooting when he’s on, though the former No. 20 overall pick (2007, Miami) only owns a career mark of .293 from beyond the arc. His most successful campaign from deep was the 2014/15 season when he nailed 35.7% of his threes for the Knicks. But Smith is certainly a solid addition as a role-player, with Smith set to compete against Andrew Nicholson and Drew Gooden for minutes off the bench next season.
Knicks Sign Willy Hernangomez
FRIDAY, 11:07am: The Knicks have formally announced Hernangomez’s signing, making it official (Twitter link).
TUESDAY, 3:45pm: According to Frank Isola of The New York Daily News (via Twitter), Hernangomez’s deal will be for at least three years, which means the Knicks are using cap space to complete it.
3:00pm: After spending the first few days of July securing NBA free agents, the Knicks have shifted their focus to overseas players today. Having agreed to terms with Lithuanian forward Mindaugas Kuzminskas earlier this afternoon, New York has also struck a multiyear deal with a 2015 draftee, Spanish center Willy Hernangomez, per Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). The contract will be fully guaranteed, tweets Ian Begley of ESPN.com.
[RELATED: Knicks’ free agent agreements, via our Free Agent Tracker]
Hernangomez, the 35th overall pick in last year’s draft, didn’t see much action during Euroleague play for Real Madrid this past season, posting averages of 4.3 PPG and 3.4 RPG in 10.6 minutes per Euroleague contest (10.6 games). However, the 22-year-old did shoot an impressive 64.3% from the field in his limited action.
There have been multiple reports indicating throughout the spring and summer that Hernangomez planned on joining the Knicks this offseason. A May report suggested that the 6’11” center had rejected two offers from Real Madrid, and that it would take a significant shift in momentum for him not to wind up with New York next season.
That same report in May indicated that a four-year offer would be on the way for Hernangomez, but it remains to be seen whether or not that will be the case. Contracts signed using the minimum-salary exception can’t be longer than two years, but if the Knicks use cap room to sign Hernangomez to a minimum-salary deal, which they should be able to do, it could be for up to four years.
Mavs To Re-Sign Dirk Nowitzki
After missing out on some of their top free agent targets early in July, the Mavericks have been active over the last couple days filling out their roster, and now the team is set to lock up its franchise player to a new contract. According to ESPN’s Marc Stein, the Mavs have reached an agreement on the framework for a two-year, $40MM deal for Dirk Nowitzki. The second year of the deal will likely be a player option, per Stein.
[RELATED: Mavs, Harrison Barnes agree to four-year deal]
For Nowitzki, the new deal will represent a significant increase in salary on his last contract, which was worth $25MM over three years. The longtime Maverick opted out of the final year of that deal last month, choosing instead to work out a new, multiyear contract with Dallas. Although there were rumblings that the Warriors – and perhaps other teams – intended to reach out to Nowitzki, the Mavs were always the strong favorites to re-sign him.
Because Nowitzki was on such a modest contract, his cap hold this summer is only worth about $12.5MM. The Mavericks will have to keep that figure on their books as they absorb trade acquisition Andrew Bogut and finalize contracts for other free agent signees. However, once they use up their cap room, the Mavs will be able to go over the cap to finalize Nowitzki’s deal, which will have a salary closer to $20MM in 2016/17.
Although they missed out on top free agent targets like Mike Conley and Hassan Whiteside, the Mavericks have recovered reasonably well, agreeing to acquire Bogut from the Warriors for essentially nothing, and landing Harrison Barnes and Seth Curry in free agency. The team also reached agreements to bring back a pair of its own free agents, Deron Williams and Dwight Powell.
[RELATED: Mavericks’ free agent deals in our 2016 Free Agent Tracker]
Nowitzki turned 38 in June, but has continued to be extremely productive for the Mavericks, even as the team has slipped from title contention in recent years. In 2015/16, the German big man averaged 18.3 PPG, 6.5 RPG, and 1.7 3PG. Nowitzki’s field-goal percentage did slip to .448, his worst mark since his rookie season, but he shot a respectable 36.8% on three-pointers and continued to handle a significant offensive load for the franchise.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Hornets Sign Roy Hibbert To One-Year Deal
THURSDAY, 11:22am: The Hornets have formally issued a press release to announce the signing of Hibbert.
MONDAY, 7:51pm: The Hornets and free agent center Roy Hibbert have agreed to a one-year, $5MM contract, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical.
Hibbert averaged 5.9 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks with the Lakers last season. The former All-Star for the Pacers essentially replaces Al Jefferson, who agreed to a three-year deal with Indiana. The Lakers secured their starting center in the early hours of free agency by agreeing to a four-year, $64MM contract with Timofey Mozgov.
The Hornets have also been trying to trade Spencer Hawes and the remaining $11.7MM on his contract to clear salary-cap space, which will likely require them to include a future draft pick, league sources informed Wojnarowski.
Hibbert’s ability to protect the rim was the deciding factor in Charlotte’s decision to offer him a contract, Wojnarowski adds.
Knicks Re-Sign Lance Thomas To Four-Year Deal
FRIDAY, 2:16pm: The Knicks have officially re-signed Thomas, the team announced today (via Twitter).
MONDAY, 7:10pm: The Knicks have reached a multi-year agreement with their restricted free agent forward Lance Thomas, a league source informed Chris Haynes of Cleveland.com (Twitter link). The contract is a four-year deal starting at around $6.1MM, Ian Begley of ESPN.com tweets. That would make the contract worth approximately $27.3MM.
The 6’8” small forward, who has played five NBA seasons, averaged 8.2 points and 2.2 rebounds in 22.3 minutes last season for New York while appearing in 59 games. He has also played for the Pelicans franchise and Thunder in his NBA career.
Thomas had received interest from the Thunder as well as the Timberwolves, Spurs, Clippers, and Pelicans in the free agent market.