Rockets Waive Ty Lawson In Buyout Deal
9:22pm: Lawson has officially been waived, the team announced.
7:21am: The Rockets and Ty Lawson have a deal on a buyout, reports international journalist David Pick (Twitter link). The point guard will still be eligible to take part in the playoffs for another team if he formally hits waivers today.
The prospect of a buyout seemed unlikely this weekend, even as the sides were reportedly exploring the idea, with Lawson apparently having indicated a desire to stay in Houston until season’s end. Instead, it looks like he’s headed elsewhere and is giving up a portion of his more than $12.404MM salary to do so. It’s a sharp turn of events from the summer, when the Happy Walters client forfeited the guarantee on next season’s salary to facilitate the trade that sent him from the Nuggets to the Rockets, but little has gone right for Houston this season, and Lawson is averaging a career-low 5.8 points per game in a reserve role. His assists per game have gone from 9.6 last year to 3.4 this year.
It’s unclear just how much Lawson is giving up for the chance to join another team, but the buyout will push the Rockets farther away from their $88.74MM hard cap. They’re only about $524K shy of it for now, keeping them from spending all of the nearly $900K in exception money they still have. It’ll also give the team a second opening on the roster. Houston, already with one vacancy in the wake of Marcus Thornton‘s release, reportedly has some level of interest in Chris Copeland, though a reunion with buyout candidate Kevin Martin is unlikely.
The Jazz appeared to have interest in Lawson amid the trade talks they reportedly engaged in with the Rockets before the deadline, and the Knicks apparently spoke with the Rockets about trading for Lawson, too. The market for Lawson appeared slow early this season, but his appeal figures to be greater now that he’ll be available much more cheaply.
Reports throughout the day provided sometimes conflicting information about whether Lawson and the Rockets had reached a buyout. League sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports a few hours after Pick’s report that the sides were still talking about a buyout but hadn’t struck an agreement yet (Twitter link). Walters confirmed this to Mark Berman of Fox 26 Houston (on Twitter). Wojnarowski later tweeted that the sides were getting closer but a hurdle remained. Sources told both Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com minutes later that the sides had struck a buyout agreement (Twitter links). Wojnarowski clarified that a framework of the buyout was in place and that the deal would become final today once the documentation was finished (Twitter links).
Hawks Sign Kris Humphries
TUESDAY, 6:56pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. “As we explored opportunities to add to our team after the trade deadline, we felt it was important to prioritize experience and versatility,” coach/executive Mike Budenholzer said in the team’s statement. “Kris is a versatile veteran with playoff experience who fits well with our group and within our system. We are fortunate to have Kris join our team and would like to welcome him to the Hawks family.”
10:29pm: Humphries plans to sign a minimum-salary contract with the Hawks for the rest of the season, according to Spears.
SUNDAY, 4:31pm: The Hawks will sign power forward Kris Humphries, whom the Suns waived this afternoon, tweets Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports. Spears confirmed that Humphries has committed to joining the Hawks once he clears waivers.
Today’s move ends Humphries’ short stay in Phoenix, where Washington traded him in a deadline-day deal for Markieff Morris. Terms of the buyout have not been released, but Humphries is making $4.6MM this season and was due to get the same amount in 2016/17.
Humphries’ contract for next season would have been guaranteed if he had not been waived by June 30th, tweets Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. He also notes that if any team decides to claim Humphries, it would only have to pay about $1.1MM for the rest of this season, although it would absorb this season’s full salary on its cap (Twitter link).
Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops first reported Saturday night that Atlanta was the front-runner to land Humphries. The Hawks are seeking a replacement for center/forward Tiago Splitter, who will miss the rest of the season after having hip surgery.
Raptors Ink Jason Thompson, Cut Anthony Bennett
TUESDAY, 12:07pm: The moves are official, the Raptors announced via press release.
“We thank Anthony for his professionalism and for his service to our team and community,” Ujiri said. “We know he’s on his way to becoming an excellent NBA player but as we approach the end of the season Jason will provide us with a veteran presence that we need.”
MONDAY, 1:39pm: The Raptors are waiving Anthony Bennett to clear the way for a deal with Jason Thompson that covers the rest of the season, reports Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). The addition of Thompson helps fill a need at power forward for Toronto, but it’s nonetheless surprising to see the Raptors cut ties with Bennett, the former No. 1 overall pick whom GM Masai Ujiri had suggested would be with the team beyond this season in spite of his one-year contract. Bennett is on a minimum-salary deal, and the same will be true for Thompson, since that’s all Toronto can give. The full season salary for Bennett will stick on Toronto’s books unless another team claims him off waivers.
Thompson was also reportedly drawing the eye of the Heat in the wake of his release from the Warriors last week, a cut that came so that Golden State could sign Anderson Varejao. The Raptors reportedly had interest in trading for a handful of power forwards, including Ryan Anderson, Thaddeus Young, Kenneth Faried and Markieff Morris, but instead it appears they end up with Thompson, who started 63 games for the Kings last season but averaged just 6.4 minutes per contest with the Warriors.
Bennett, the NBA’s top pick in 2013, is hitting waivers for the second time in barely more than five months, after he and the Timberwolves reached a buyout agreement in late September. The Sixers and Blazers reportedly had interest at the time, but he wound up signing with the Raptors, his hometown team. The 22-year-old’s defense initially impressed coach Dwane Casey, but Bennett failed to convince Casey that he deserved more playing time, totaling just 84 minutes all season.
Who do you think is the bigger bust, Bennett or fellow former No. 1 pick Greg Oden? Leave a comment to have your say.
Suns Sign Phil Pressey To Second 10-Day
TUESDAY, 11:19am: The deal is official, the team announced.
MONDAY, 5:34pm: The Suns will sign Phil Pressey to a second 10-day contract, reports Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic. The point guard’s first 10-day deal will expire after tonight. Another deal for Pressey would still leave an open roster spot, with the team linked to Anthony Bennett, who’s headed for a buyout with the Raptors. Coro indicates Pressey’s signing will take place Tuesday, which would put him in line to play six games, against the Hornets, Heat, Magic, Grizzlies, Knicks and Nuggets, before the deal expires. He’ll make $55,722.
The 25-year-old Pressey has seen no shortage of playing time for the injury-depleted Suns, averaging 5.0 points, 6.0 assists and 3.3 turnovers in 22.0 minutes per game across four appearances. That’s nearly twice as much time on the court than the 12.1 minutes per game he saw during his month-long stint with the Sixers earlier this season. Phoenix is the fifth NBA team Pressey’s been on in the past 12 months, as he’s also gone through the hands of the Celtics, Trail Blazers and Jazz.
The third-year veteran impressed in his two seasons with the Celtics, and Boston president of basketball operations Danny Ainge made it clear that cutting him was a difficult move. Suns GM Ryan McDonough worked under Ainge for several years with the C’s, so it’s no surprise to see Pressey in Phoenix, at least for the time being. The Suns and the Aaron Mintz client will face a reckoning point at the conclusion of his latest 10-day deal, since Phoenix would either have to ink him for at least the rest of the season or let him walk.
Hornets Sign Jorge Gutierrez To Second 10-Day
TUESDAY, 9:09am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release. The contract will cover five games, against the Suns, Sixers Pacers, Timberwolves and Pelicans.
MONDAY, 10:07pm: The Hornets will sign point guard Jorge Gutierrez to a second 10-day contract, sources informed Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Charlotte brought in Gutierrez to fill the role of third-string point guard. He has appeared in just one game, a four-minute stint against the Cavaliers on February 24th.
The 27-year-old was in training camp with the Bucks earlier this season but did not make the opening night roster. Before signing with Charlotte, Gutierrez appeared in 22 games this season for the Canton Charge, the Cavs’ D-League affiliate, where he averaged 11.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 5.7 assists in 27.8 minutes per outing.
The playmaker appeared in a total of 35 NBA contests over the prior three seasons, 25 with the Nets and 10 more with the Bucks. The 6’3” Gutierrez was not drafted in 2012 after playing for the University of California and being named the Pac-12 Player of the Year as a senior. He had summer league stints with the Nuggets and Kings as well as the Nets.
Spurs Sign Andre Miller
MONDAY, 5:34pm: The signing is official, the Spurs announced. San Antonio earlier announced that it waived McCallum to create a roster opening.
10:49pm: The Spurs will waive third-string point guard Ray McCallum to make room for Miller, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. Miller must pass a physical before McCallum is waived (Twitter link).
6:05pm: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich refused to comment on the move until it becomes official, which cannot happen until Miller clears waivers, McDonald tweets.
5:07pm: Miller’s agent, Andy Miller, confirms his client’s intention to sign with the Spurs, tweets Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News.
SATURDAY, 4:15pm: Veteran point guard Andre Miller, who was waived by the Wolves earlier this week, will sign with the Spurs, tweets Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports. The signing will cost San Antonio an extra $375K under the luxury tax, tweets former NBA executive Bobby Marks. The Spurs have 15 players on their roster, so a corresponding move will be necessary.
Miller, 39, was let go by Minnesota on Thursday in an apparent buyout agreement. He had been on a one-year, veterans’ minimum contract with the Wolves. Miller averaged 3.4 points, 0.9 rebounds and 2.2 assists in 26 games this season. The Spurs will be his ninth franchise in a 17-year NBA career.
Earlier today, the Spurs were reported as the new favorite to land shooting guard Kevin Martin, who is also in buyout talks with the Wolves. It’s not certain how the Miller signing would affect their interest in Martin.
Spurs Waive Ray McCallum
The Spurs have waived point guard Ray McCallum, the team announced via press release. Adrian Wojnarowski of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports reported this weekend that the move would come so that San Antonio could sign Andre Miller, fresh off his buyout from the Timberwolves. The Spurs had been carrying a full roster of 15 players, so someone had to go for Miller to join.
McCallum’s minimum salary of $947,276 will stick on San Antonio’s books if he clears waivers, which isn’t necessarily a given. Any team that claims him would be able to match offers for him when he hits free agency this summer, though not every team is eligible to claim him. Teams must have cap space, a trade exception or a disabled player exception to claim McCallum, as Bobby Marks of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports tweets.
McCallum appeared in 31 games with the Spurs, including three starts, but he only averaged 2.2 points and 1.1 assists in 8.3 minutes. He also played seven games with the team’s D-League affiliate in Austin.
San Antonio acquired McCallum from the Kings via trade for a second-round pick in July. McCallum was the Kings’ second-round selection in 2013 and started 40 games for them in his first two seasons.
The 24-year-old has ties to the Pistons. In one of his recent tweets, Vince Ellis of The Detroit Free Press noted that Detroit coach Stan Van Gundy is friends with University of Detroit Mercy basketball coach Ray McCallum Sr., so perhaps that could lead to the younger McCallum returning to his roots in Michigan. Detroit would have to open up a roster spot for that to happen, but the Pistons currently have power forward Justin Harper on a 10-day contract.
Heat Waive Beno Udrih In Buyout Deal, Dodge Tax
4:37pm: Udrih’s release is official, the team announced (Twitter link). The amount he gave up was nominal, a source told Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel (on Twitter), pegging it as likely around $50K, not much more than was necessary to skirt the tax line.
3:36pm: The Heat and Beno Udrih have agreed to a buyout deal that will see the point guard give up enough of his salary for the team to slip under the luxury tax line, and that’s prompted complaints from multiple teams around the league, reports Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com. Shams Charania of The Vertical on Yahoo Sports earlier reported the sides were near agreement on a buyout, and that raised questions about why Udrih, who’s expected to be out until late May because of foot surgery, would relinquish salary in return for the chance to hit free agency before the end of the season.
Miami ducked the tax line at the trade deadline, only to go over once again with the signing of Joe Johnson, whom several other teams pursued. The Heat’s ability to snag Johnson and still end up out of the tax is part of the reason murmurs have surfaced around the league, Windhorst indicates. Teams beneath the tax line receive tax payments from those above the threshold, but that distribution is smaller when there are fewer taxpayers. The Heat are in line for a $2.6MM tax payment plus $110K in tax savings as a result of Udrih’s buyout, according to Windhorst. The Johnson signing put Miami approximately $44K over the tax line, as The Vertical’s Bobby Marks pointed out. Those figures jibe with repeat-offender tax rate of $2.50 for every dollar the Heat would spend over the line.
It’s unclear exactly how much of Udrih’s more than $2.170MM salary he’s poised to relinquish in the buyout, though given Miami’s reported discussion with free agent target Marcus Thornton and the team’s lack of depth at point guard, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Heat pushed Udrih to give back more than just the $44K needed for them to slip beneath the tax line. It seems unlikely he would recoup whatever he gave up, at least at any point this season, since he probably won’t be able to return to the court until deep into the playoffs, Windhorst notes. The Heat would be eligible to re-sign him if he clears waivers, but if they did so, it would surely draw even more scrutiny.
Suns Waive Kris Humphries
4:18pm: The Suns have waived Humphries, the team announced (on Twitter), confirming an earlier tweet from Marc Stein of ESPN.com.
SUNDAY, 11:01am: The Suns are expected to complete a buyout deal with Kris Humphries later today, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic. The Hawks are the favorite to sign Humphries after he clears waivers, as Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops first reported Saturday. Because Humphries is being released before Tuesday’s deadline, he will be eligible to participate in the postseason with his new team. “Basketball always comes down to winning and competing, especially now that the season is so long,” Humphries said, according to Coro. “[Joining a playoff team] is always an option.”
Humphries has been in Phoenix for a little more than a week after Washington traded him there in a deadline deal for Markieff Morris. The Suns also received a top-nine protected draft pick and DeJuan Blair, who was waived on Monday. Humphries is making $4.6MM this season and in 2016/17, so it’s possible he could be giving up a substantial amount of money in the buyout.
The parting of ways with Humphries coincides with Phoenix’s desire to give more time to younger players, as Coro examines in a separate story. Interim coach Earl Watson used the team’s 18th different starting lineup of the season Saturday and wants to see more of Alex Len, Archie Goodwin and Devin Booker.
“I think it’s time to put our young guys in position, as many young guys as we can, in a position to be successful,” Watson said. “I think we have to let them be comfortable.”
The Hawks have an open roster spot and are definitely interested in Humphries, writes Chris Vivlamore of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta has been monitoring buyout candidates as it searches for a replacement for center/forward Tiago Splitter, who is out for the rest of the season after undergoing hip surgery this week. Splitter was averaging 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds through 36 games, mostly as a reserve.
Humphries could play a role in costing his former team a playoff spot if he signs with Atlanta, writes Ben Standig of CSNMidAtlantic. At 27-30, the Wizards are in 10th place and four games behind the Hawks in the Eastern Conference playoff race. The teams will meet three more times this season.
Nets Sign Sean Kilpatrick To 10-Day Pact
SUNDAY, 1:54pm: The Nets have officially signed Kilpatrick to a 10-day contract, the team announced via press release.
FRIDAY, 3:36pm: The Nets are expected to sign former Timberwolves and Nuggets shooting guard Sean Kilpatrick, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (Twitter link). Brooklyn opened two roster spots in buyout deals with Joe Johnson and Andrea Bargnani this week, so the team doesn’t need to make a corresponding move. It’s unclear whether the signing would be a 10-day arrangement or cover the rest of the season.
The 26-year-old Kilpatrick has been putting up impressive numbers for the D-League affiliate of the Sixers this year. He’s averaging 26.4 points in 38.4 minutes per game with 42.6% 3-point shooting in 28 appearances.
Kilpatrick has seen extremely limited action in the NBA thus far in his career, having made a total of 12 appearances over parts of two seasons. His NBA numbers are 4.1 points, 1.0 rebounds and 0.6 assists to accompany a slash line of .366/.267/.917.