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Clippers Ink Paul Pierce

July 10th, 2015 at 6:02pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 10TH, 6:02pm: The signing is official, the Clippers announced via a press release.

JULY 1ST, 6:16pm: The Clippers are set to sign veteran small forward Paul Pierce to a free agent deal, Dan Woike of The Orange County Register reports (Twitter link). Los Angeles is using the taxpayer’s mini-mid level exception to ink the veteran, and the deal is for three years, and approximately $10MM, including a team option for the third season, TNT’s David Aldridge relays (on Twitter). The Wizards made a push to re-sign Pierce, who reportedly enjoyed his time in Washington D.C., but the lure of playing for former coach Doc Rivers likely proved too strong, though that is merely my speculation. The Celtics, Pierce’s former team, were also reportedly in the mix for his services. Pierce will fill a major void at small forward for Los Angeles.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Pierce takes a paycut from the $5,543,725 he was set to earn in 2015/16 with the Wizards after opting out of his deal. He had been on the fence regarding returning for an 18th season. “I haven’t really thought about it,” Pierce said after the Wizards were eliminated from this season’s NBA playoffs. “I don’t even know if I am going to play basketball anymore. These seasons get harder and harder every year, every day. Summers get even harder when you start getting back in shape. I’m 37 years old. I’m top two or three oldest in the league.” Pierce had indicated that he would take some time and discuss the matter with his family before making his call on next season. “I have been playing this game [for] like 32 years. Since I was a little kid. Probably going to be the hardest thing to do is put the game down. But I know that time is coming one day. I am not sure if it is this year or next year. I will sit down with my family and figure things out,” Pierce said.

The 37-year-old enjoyed a solid campaign with Washington last season, appearing in 73 contests and averaging 11.9 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 2.0 assists. His career numbers are 20.17 PPG, 5.8 RPG, and 3.7 APG, and he owns a shooting line of .447/.371/.806.

Timberwolves Re-Sign Kevin Garnett

July 10th, 2015 at 5:57pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 5:57pm: The signing is official, the Wolves announced.

5:03pm: Wolfson pegs the value of the deal at $16.5MM. Garnett, an Andy Miller client, negotiated it himself, Wolfson adds (Twitter link).

THURSDAY, 4:43pm: Garnett’s deal is for two years and $16MM, Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press tweets, confirming Zgoda’s estimate.

10:00am: It is indeed a two-year deal for Garnett, Wolfson tweets. It contains no options or non-guaranteed money, Wolfson adds (on Twitter).

NBA: Los Angeles Clippers at Minnesota Timberwolves

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

TUESDAY, 8:28am: The Timberwolves and Kevin Garnett have reached a deal, as long expected, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link). The numbers aren’t yet clear, but the team had reportedly planned to make him a two-year offer, and Garnett was likewise expected to take it. The 39-year-old will be coming back for his record-tying 21st season this year.

“I’m incredibly excited and rejuvenated to be a part of this talented, committed team,” Garnett said, according to Wolfson (Twitter link).

Injuries limited Garnett to just five games after the midseason trade that brought him back to Minnesota, the team that had originally drafted him, but coach/executive Flip Saunders has no regrets based on the veteran’s locker room presence for the young Timberwolves. He’ll rejoin a team that’s set to feature at least three rookies in No. 1 pick Karl-Anthony Towns, No. 24 pick Tyus Jones, and draft-and-stash prospect Nemanja Bjelica, who reportedly agreed to a deal Monday.

Garnett made $12MM last season, though his declining production would suggest a pay cut is in order. Minnesota has his Bird Rights and thus the ability to pay him whatever is necessary, though Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune has estimated a deal would be worth about $8MM a year. That would fall roughly in line with what fellow venerable power forward Dirk Nowitzki agreed to take from the Mavericks last year, when he signed a three-year deal worth about $8.3MM a season.

Heat Re-Sign Dwyane Wade

July 10th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 9TH, 4:57pm: The deal is official, the Heat announced in a press release. “For over a decade, Dwyane has embodied what it means to wear the Miami Heat uniform,” said Riley. “He has been the pillar and constant of this organization, and is a true champion in every sense of the word. We are thrilled that Dwyane has re-signed and will lead us as we look to win another NBA Championship.”

JULY 2ND, 5:03pm: The Heat and Dwyane Wade have reached an agreement on a new contract, Tim Reynolds of The Associated Press reports (Twitter link). It will be a one-year, $20MM arrangement, Ira Winderman of The Sun Sentinel relays (on Twitter). The deal is less than the max, which for Wade would be roughly equivalent to 35% of the salary cap, likely at least $22MM, but it will be the highest annual salary of his career.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Wade released a statement regarding his return to Miami (h/t Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald). “It has been an honor and privilege to play with the Miami HEAT the past twelve years,” Wade said in the statement. “The Heat family and I have shared incredible moments over the years and I look forward to continuing our journey. I am extremely proud of my personal contributions in helping to build the Heat franchise and for bringing three NBA championship wins to our great city. For my entire NBA career, Miami has always been my city and my home. I’m overwhelmed with the love and support the Miami community have consistently shown me and my family throughout the years.”

Henry Thomas, Wade’s agent, had this to say about the deal: “This contract is a win-win for both Dwyane and the Heat. Not only does Dwyane get to extend his Hall of Fame-worthy career with the only franchise for whom he has ever played, but he will have the flexibility next summer to sign an additional deal. And the Heat gets to keep their franchise cornerstone while having the ability to build a championship-contending roster.”

The 33-year-old had opted out of his contract for 2015/16, which would have paid Wade $16.125MM. The Heat had reportedly preferred that Wade opt in and sign for $10MM salaries next summer. A friend of Wade’s had noted that the guard didn’t feel that the team regarded him as a priority. Team president Pat Riley spoke highly of Wade, saying in part that, “We love Dwyane. Dwyane is a pillar.” Now it would appear that the franchise icon will have the opportunity to finish his career in Miami.

Miami will use its Bird Rights on Wade to complete the deal, which is poised to send the Heat, who have also agreed to sign Goran Dragic for five years and $90MM, deep into luxury tax territory. The Heat entered July with about $53MM in guaranteed salary already on the books, with the tax line projected to come in at about $82MM. Heat president Pat Riley is scheduled to meet with LaMarcus Aldridge tonight, but without cap flexibility and likely without the capability of engineering a sign-and-trade, Wade’s deal only furthers the notion that Aldridge is a long shot to come to Miami.

Wade has been limited by injuries the past few seasons, and appeared in 62 games for Miami last season, averaging 21.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 4.8 assists in 31.8 minutes per contest. His career numbers through 781 regular season games are 24.1 PPG, 4.9 RPG, and 5.9 APG, with a slash line of .490/.289/.765.

Heat Sign Amar’e Stoudemire

July 10th, 2015 at 4:41pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 4:41pm: The Heat have officially signed Stoudemire, the team announced. It will be a one-year deal worth $1.5MM, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today tweets. “We are very fortunate that a proven All-Star like Amar’e has chosen the Miami Heat,” said team president Pat Riley. “He is going to bring gravitas, leadership and a hardworking mentality to our team as we look to win another Championship in Miami.”

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

THURSDAY, 10:53pm: The Heat are believed to be close to a deal with Amar’e Stoudemire, reports Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com, who cites sources (Twitter link). Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirmed through an associate of Stoudemire’s that it is indeed the case and that the 13-year veteran would like to play for the Heat, though that associate cautioned that a deal is not yet a given. The Happy Walters client won’t base his decision on money, Jackson hears, a plus for the Heat, who are limited to only their $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception and are poised to pay repeat-offender tax penalties this season unless they clear some of their salary commitments.

Stoudemire will meet with the Heat on Friday, as Frank Isola of the New York Daily News reported (on Twitter), and team president Pat Riley will take part, Jackson notes. Several other teams have apparently been in the mix for the big man, as the Clippers, Rockets, Mavericks, Lakers and Suns all reportedly expressed interest in him as someone who could shore up their respective benches.

Stoudemire didn’t want to go to the Clippers unless he could start, as Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reported, and it seems unlikely he’d start over Chris Bosh or Hassan Whiteside in Miami. Still, Stoudemire apparently had at least some level of mutual interest in the Clippers, as well as the Mavs, Lakers, Suns and Spurs. He was expected to speak with Clippers coach/executive Doc Rivers this past weekend, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports, who added the Pacers to the list of teams that Stoudemire was eyeing.

Grizzlies Sign Jarell Martin

July 10th, 2015 at 3:56pm CST by Eddie Scarito

The Grizzlies have signed first-round draftee Jarell Martin to a rookie scale deal, the team announced via a press release. Martin was the No. 25 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft after being a consensus First Team All-SEC selection last season. The 21-year-old was the No. 39 ranked prospect according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress.

The big man out of LSU will likely receive a salary of more than $1.230MM this season and a total of nearly $6.274MM over the course of his four-year contract, as our salary chart for 2015 first-rounders shows. These figures presume he’ll get 120% of the scale amount, which is the norm.

Martin made 33 appearances for the Tigers during the 2014/15 campaign, averaging 16.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 1.8 assists in 35.1 minutes, with a slash line of .509/.269/.690. His career averages were 13.7 PPG, 6.9 RPG, and 1.4 APG.

Magic Sign Mario Hezonja

July 10th, 2015 at 3:12pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic have signed Mario Hezonja, this year’s fifth overall pick, the team announced. He’ll almost certainly receive a salary of more than $3.741MM this season and a total of nearly $16.897MM over the four-year rookie scale contract, as our salary chart for 2015 first-rounders shows. Those figures presume he’ll get 120% of the scale amount, which is standard procedure. The Arn Tellem client will likely put some of that toward his $1.4MM buyout from Barcelona of Spain. The Magic can only cover $625K of that.

Hezonja’s selection wasn’t too surprising, as Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress had him as the fifth-best prospect while Chad Ford of ESPN.com ranked him sixth. The Croatian swingman is a versatile scorer with tantalizing outside shooting skill, though he has a reputation for a poor attitude.

The Magic are likely done with signings for more than the minimum salary, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel wrote. That frees the team to formally sign Hezonja, a maneuver that lifts his cap hold by about $900K.

Jazz Re-Sign Joe Ingles

July 10th, 2015 at 2:34pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 2:34pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

MONDAY, 6:17pm: The Jazz are finalizing a deal with Joe Ingles, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). The sides have reached agreement on a pact worth $4.5MM over two years, Wojnarowski adds (Twitter link), a raise on the minimum salary he made this past season as a rookie. The move can’t become official until Thursday at the earliest, since the July Moratorium still holds.

It’s no surprise to see the sides agree to terms, since they had mutual interest in a continued partnership as the regular season ended, according to Gordon Monson of The Salt Lake Tribune. Utah made a qualifying offer to make him a restricted free agent and reached out to him as soon as the free agent negotiating period began July 1st.

Ingles will see more than his Non-Bird rights would have provided him, so Utah will either have to use cap space or the $2.814MM room exception to accommodate his deal. The two-year length of the contract means he’ll again be eligible for restricted free agency in 2017.

The Jazz nabbed the Bradley Ames client off waivers from the Clippers at the start of this past season. Clippers president Doc Rivers said he’d wanted to re-sign Ingles after he cleared waivers, but he never got a chance to do so. Instead, the 27-year-old Australian, who’ll turn 28 in October, spent his first NBA season in Utah after several years playing in Europe.

Nets Sign Wayne Ellington

July 10th, 2015 at 2:17pm CST by Chuck Myron

FRIDAY, 2:17pm: The deal is official, the team announced via press release.

11:14pm: It’s a two-year, $3MM deal with a player option, reports Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That would appear to exhaust Brooklyn’s taxpayer’s mid-level, Mazzeo notes, leaving the team with only the minimum to hand out to outside free agents.

THURSDAY, 7:59am: The Nets have an agreement in principle with Wayne Ellington, the team announced via press release. Teams usually announce signings rather than agreements, so it’s unclear if a formal contract has yet been signed. Brooklyn has a portion of its taxpayer’s mid-level left over after agreeing to terms with Shane Larkin for part of it, though it’s not yet known if the team is using that or if Ellington is merely getting the minimum salary.

Ellington leaves the Lakers despite making it clear to GM Mitch Kupchak that he preferred to come back. The Lakers reportedly reached out to him on the first day of free agency, as did the Cavaliers, Warriors, Wizards, Spurs and Hawks. The Knicks also apparently had interest.

The Thaddeus Foucher client who turns 28 in October is coming off career highs of 10.0 points and 25.8 minutes per game for the Lakers. That’s in spite of 37.0% three-point shooting that was below his 38.2% career rate.

Thunder Sign Cameron Payne

July 10th, 2015 at 2:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

The Thunder have signed Cameron Payne, this year’s No. 14 overall pick, the team announced. His rookie scale contract is likely worth slightly more than $9.6MM over four years, with a first-year salary of nearly $2.022MM, presuming he gets the standard 120% of the rookie scale, as our table of salaries for 2015 first-round picks shows.

Eddie Scarito of Hoops Rumors had predicted in our final mock draft that Payne would go to the Thunder amid rumors of a promise from the team. Chad Ford of ESPN.com, who originally reported that chatter, had Payne as the No. 14 prospect in his rankings. Payne starred at mid-major Murray State, averaging 20.2 points, 6.0 assists and 2.5 turnovers this past season, and he told Zach Links of Hoops Rumors before the draft that he compares his game to that of Tony Parker.

The signing of the Travis King client raises his cap hold by roughly $300K, but it does little to affect flexibility for Oklahoma City, which is already well above the $70MM cap. The Thunder figure to pay the tax should they match Portland’s offer sheet to Enes Kanter, as expected, but the club didn’t end up trading its pick and seems committed to Payne as a backup for Russell Westbrook.

LeBron James Re-Signs With Cavs

July 10th, 2015 at 1:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

1Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

1:26pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

“LeBron’s re-signing today is a reflection and continuation of his strong, personal commitment to help deliver championships to Northeast Ohio and Cavs fans everywhere,” GM David Griffin said in the team’s statement. “We share this deep level of commitment with him. His impact upon this team, his community and the game are impossible to overstate and we look forward to continuing on our mission together.”

FRIDAY, 12:10pm: James signed this morning, a source tells Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The team has yet to make a formal announcement.

THURSDAY, 12:01pm: Agent Rich Paul notified the Cavaliers that client LeBron James will sign with them on the first day he can in free agency, tweets Chris Broussard of ESPN.com. That would indicate that James will sign today. It’s no great surprise, unlike last year, as James has been likely to stay with Cleveland, though the timing of the move, which comes before an agreement between the Cavs and fellow Paul client Tristan Thompson, is somewhat unexpected. It’s a two-year deal with a player option, Broussard adds in a second tweet, with salary figures that indicate it’ll be a max contract. That’s the very sort of arrangement that Joe Vardon of the Northeast Ohio Media Group wrote months ago that James was likely to sign.

James, 30, turned in another stellar season in 2014/15, averaging 25.3 PPG, 7.4 APG, 6.0 RPG, and a 25.9 PER. This past campaign might not have been James’ career-best, but he was nothing short of dominant overall. After cruising to his eleventh consecutive All-Star selection, James put on a heroic effort in the postseason. Even after losing Kevin Love to a shoulder injury in their first round battle with the Celtics and Kyrie Irving to a knee injury in the Finals, LeBron kept his Cavs afloat into a hard-fought championship series against the Warriors.

LeBron and his squad experienced some road bumps in 2014/15, including an up-and-down start to the year and apparent friction between first-year coach David Blatt and core players. Ultimately, however, LeBron will continue to push to see things through in Cleveland as he promised to do this time last year. Of course, it also helps that James appears to have far more control over personnel moves now than he did in Miami.

There was never much question as to whether LeBron would re-sign with Cleveland, but the Cavs are surely breathing a sigh of relief now that they have word of his return.