Pistons Sign Jon Leuer
JULY 8: The Pistons have officially signed Leuer, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 2: The Pistons and unrestricted free agent Jon Leuer have reached an agreement on a contract that will land the forward in Detroit, his agents at Priority Sports tweeted. It will be a four-year deal worth $42MM, Marc Stein of ESPN.com relays (ESPN Now link). The contract is fully guaranteed, adds Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter).
Detroit has been on the market for a stretch-four and Leuer, who has shot 37.5% from beyond the arc over the course of his five-year career, can certainly help to that end. He may not be as newsworthy an addition as Al Horford, whom the team was reportedly courting, but landing Leuer on a deal with an average annual salary of $10.5MM in the current free agent market is a nice fallback for the boys from Motown.
Leuer made 67 appearances for the Suns this past season, averaging 8.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 18.1 minutes per outing. He shot .481/.382/.762 on the season.
Jazz Sign Joe Johnson To Two-Year Deal
JULY 8: The Jazz have issued a press release officially confirming their deal with Johnson.
JULY 2: The Jazz and Joe Johnson have reached a contract agreement, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the two sides struck a two-year deal worth $22MM.
After addressing their point guard spot by agreeing to acquire George Hill in a pre-draft trade, the Jazz have been focused on wing players in free agency. Jared Dudley, Solomon Hill, Maurice Harkless, and Luol Deng had been mentioned as potential targets for Utah, but it’s Johnson who will be joining the Jazz when the July moratorium ends next week.
A 15-year NBA veteran, Johnson has spent time with the Celtics, Suns, Hawks, Nets, and Heat since entering the league back in 2001, earning seven All-Star nods along the way. Although Johnson is no longer the prolific scorer he once was, he continues to be a solid contributor, and saw an uptick in his production after he landed in Miami earlier this year. In 24 regular-season games with the Heat down the stretch, Johnson shot .518/.417/.765 and averaged 13.4 points per contest.
Even after signing Johnson, the Jazz should have a decent chunk of cap space left over to sign another free agent or two. The club could also attempt to land another piece by moving former top-10 pick Trey Burke, who is said to be on the trade block.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Magic Sign Jeff Green
JULY 7: The Magic have officially signed Green, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 1: After acquiring one former Thunder forward in a trade last month, Orlando general manager Rob Hennigan has now agreed to sign another former Oklahoma City frontcourt player. According to Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today (Twitter link), the Magic have reached an agreement on a one-year, $15MM deal with Jeff Green.
[RELATED: Magic to re-sign Evan Fournier]
Green, who will turn 30 in August, appeared in a total of 80 games this past season for the Grizzlies and Clippers, averaging 11.7 PPG, 4.2 RPG, and 1.7 APG. The veteran forward, who started his career with the SuperSonics a year before they became the Thunder, heard from the Clippers last night, but their interest in re-signing him didn’t materialize into a deal.
Signing a one-year contract this summer will allow Green to reach the open market again in a year, when the salary cap will easily exceed $100MM. If he has a strong season in Orlando, Green could parlay his performance into a more lucrative multiyear deal next time around.
The Magic have been very active so far this offseason, sending Victor Oladipo, Ersan Ilyasova, and the rights to Domantas Sabonis to Oklahoma City for Serge Ibaka. Orlando followed up that move by acquiring Jodie Meeks in a deal with the Pistons, then reaching long-term agreements with D.J. Augustin and Evan Fournier in free agency.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Blazers Sign Evan Turner To Four-Year Deal
JULY 7th, 12:22am: The deal is official, the team announced.
JULY 1st, 2:30pm: With Chandler Parsons no longer in play, the Trail Blazers have landed another one of their top perimeter free agents, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical, who reports that Portland has reached an agreement with Evan Turner on a four-year deal worth about $70MM. As ESPN’s Kevin Pelton tweets, that’s about the most the Blazers could have offered a player without renouncing any of their own key free agents.
A former second overall pick, Turner has never developed into a star player, but the 27-year-old has been a solid role player for the Celtics over the last couple years. In 2015/16, he averaged 10.5 points per game to go along with 4.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists, and a .456 field-goal percentage.
The Knicks, Bulls, Pelicans, Mavericks, Lakers, Grizzlies, and Celtics had been mentioned as potential suitors for Turner, with Portland’s interest having been kept relatively under wraps. As noted above, Turner appeared to be a fallback option for the Blazers after Parsons turned down a max offer from the team.
Even after reaching a big-money agreement with Turner, the Blazers aren’t done free agent shopping. According to Wojnarowski, Portland has also made an “aggressive” offer to big man Pau Gasol. Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com first reported that the Blazers had interest in Gasol.
If Portland lands Gasol, it seems likely that at least a couple of the club’s restricted free agents will end up elsewhere. The Blazers currently have qualifying offers out to Allen Crabbe, Meyers Leonard, and Maurice Harkless.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bucks Sign Mirza Teletovic
JULY 8: The Bucks have formally announced their deal with Teletovic, via a team release.
JULY 1: The Bucks and unrestricted free agent Mirza Teletovic have reached an agreement on a multiyear contract, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter). The proposed deal is for three years and $30MM, Stein adds. Michael Scotto of The Associated Press tweets that the contract won’t contain any player or team options.
In Teletovic, Milwaukee adds a badly needed stretch-four to its rotation, an area the team was reportedly determined to address this offseason. It’s doubtful Teletovic will be a starter, but he should be a valuable piece off the bench while allowing 2016 first-rounder Thon Maker more time to develop.
The 30-year-old appeared in 79 games for the Suns this past season and averaged a career-high 12.2 points, 3.8 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.3 minutes per contest. Teletovic connected on 42.7% of his field goal attempts overall, while knocking down 39.3% of his three-pointers, which was a career-best.
Magic Sign D.J. Augustin
JULY 7, 12:27pm: The Magic continue to finalize their agreements from the moratorium, announcing today (via Twitter) that Augustin has officially signed his new contract.
JULY 1, 10:30am: Augustin’s pact will be for four years and worth $29MM, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
3:45am: The Magic have reached an agreement on contract terms with point guard D.J. Augustin, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical (Twitter link). Financial terms of the deal aren’t yet known.
Augustin, 28, split his time between Oklahoma City and Denver last season, after a deadline deal sent him from the Thunder to the Nuggets. In total, he appeared in 62 games, averaging 7.5 points and 3.2 assists in a part-time role. He was also his usual dependable self from three-point range, shooting 40.5% from downtown.
C.J. Watson was Orlando’s veteran backup at the point guard spot down the stretch last season, but with Brandon Jennings expected to depart in free agency, it makes sense for the Magic to add some more depth at the position to help complement Elfrid Payton.
Pistons Sign Ish Smith To Three-Year Deal
JULY 8, 1:30pm: The Pistons have officially locked up Smith, the team announced today in a press release.
JULY 1, 7:39am: Smith’s pact is for three years and $18MM, Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer relays (via Twitter).
2:44am: The Pistons have reached an agreement on a three-year contract with free agent point guard Ish Smith, reports David Mayo of MLive.com (via Twitter). The financial terms of the deal, which can’t be finalized until next Thursday, aren’t yet known.
Smith, who turns 28 on Tuesday, has led a nomadic existence during his six NBA seasons so far, having played for multiple teams in five of his six seasons. In 2015/16, the Wake Forest alum played in 77 total games, including 50 (all starts) for the Sixers. During his time with Philadelphia last season, Smith averaged 14.7 points and 7.0 assists per contest, easily besting his career averages.
On Thursday, we heard that the 76ers had interest in retaining Smith, but in a backup role. Instead of returning to Philadelphia, however, it appears Smith will be headed to Detroit, where he’ll likely play behind Reggie Jackson at the point.
The Pistons’ backup point guard from this past season, Steve Blake, is eligible for unrestricted free agency, and the team’s agreement with Smith is a strong signal that Blake won’t be back.
Bucks To Extend John Hammond’s Contract
The Bucks and GM John Hammond have agreed to a one-year contract extension, Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical reports (Twitter links). The extension will run through the 2017/18 campaign, notes Wojnarowski. The dollar value of the arrangement is not yet known.
Milwaukee hired Justin Zanik as GM-in-waiting earlier this month and this extension will allow Hammond to work alongside the new executive and smooth the transition, Wojnarowski writes. Hammond will remain with the organization as a consultant after he steps down as GM, the scribe adds. The Bucks recently signed coach Jason Kidd to a three-year, $16.5MM extension of his own.
Hammond has been GM of the Bucks since 2008 and the franchise has gone 273-367 under his watch in the regular season and 5-12 in the postseason. During his tenure he won the 2009/10 Executive of the Year award, which was the only season under Hammond that the team has finished the year over .500.
Wolves Waive Greg Smith
4:31pm: The Wolves officially announced that they have waived Smith.
4:24pm: The Timberwolves have waived center Greg Smith, Shams Charania of The Vertical reports (via Twitter). Provided he clears waivers, the big man will become an unrestricted free agent as a result of the team parting ways with him.
The 25-year-old signed a multiyear deal with the team in March after his second 10-day pact with the club expired. Smith earned $137,380 for his work after inking the pact and was set to be paid $1,139,123 in 2016/17. The contract called for no guaranteed money, so Minnesota will not be on the hook for any salary by waiving Smith.
In 18 appearances for the Wolves Smith averaged 2.4 points and 2.3 rebounds in 10.7 minutes per outing. His shooting line was .563/.000/.412.
Wayne Ellington Declines Player Option
Shooting guard Wayne Ellington has elected to decline his player option for next season and will become an unrestricted free agent, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (on Twitter). The scribe also confirms that point guard Shane Larkin has opted out of his deal as well. Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders first reported that Larkin was opting out of his pact for 2016/17.
Ellington, 28, was set to earn $1,567,500 for his work in 2016/17, but with the increase in the salary cap for next season, should be able to markedly improve on that figure this offseason. He doesn’t project as a starter going forward, but he could help a squad in a reserve role.
The player made 76 appearances for Brooklyn this past season, including 41 starts. Ellington notched averages of 7.7 points, 2.3 rebounds and 1.1 assists in 21.3 minutes per outing. His shooting line on the campaign was .389/.358/.857.