Transactions Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Knicks Sign Derrick Williams

July 9th, 2015 at 12:51pm CST by Eddie Scarito

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 9TH, 12:51pm: The deal is official, the Knicks announced (on Twitter).

JULY 3RD, 9:44pm: After striking out on a number of high-profile free agent targets, the Knicks have reached an agreement with free agent forward Derrick Williams, Chris Broussard of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). It is a two year pact for $10MM, and it includes a player option for the 2016/17 season, Broussard adds. Williams became an unrestricted free agent when Sacramento declined to tender him a qualifying offer.

The 24-year-old out of Arizona is a combo forward, and it’s not immediately clear how New York will utilize Williams. He could start at power forward alongside Carmelo Anthony, or come off the bench at either forward spot if the Knicks choose to keep ‘Melo at power forward, a position he has excelled at the last few seasons. The Mavericks, Kings, Wizards, Rockets, Lakers, Heat, and Suns all had some level of interest in Williams.

Williams began his NBA career in Minnesota, who made him the No. 2 overall selection in the 2011 NBA Draft. He appeared in 74 games for the Kings last season, including six as a starter. Williams notched averages of 8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 0.7 assists in 19.8 minutes per contest, to go along with a slash line of .447/.314/.684. His career numbers through four seasons as a pro are 9.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, and 0.6 APG, with a shooting line of .429/.301/.703.

Knicks Ink Arron Afflalo

July 9th, 2015 at 12:43pm CST by Chuck Myron

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 9TH, 12:43pm: The deal is official, the team announced (on Twitter).

JULY 2ND, 8:01am: The Knicks will sign Arron Afflalo to a two-year deal worth $16MM with a player option on the final season, reports Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com. The agreement gives the Sam Goldfeder client slightly more in average annual value than he would have made had he picked up his $7.75MM player option with the Blazers.

The deal comes as no surprise, as Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports on Monday identified the Knicks as the front-runners for the shooting guard who turns 30 in October, and Chris Mannix of SI.com reported Tuesday that Afflalo was open to a deal that allowed him to hit free agency again in a year or two. The Knicks were to meet with Afflalo today, and it sounds like they either met early this morning or reached agreement before having a sitdown.

New York will use part of its nearly $30MM in cap flexibility on the eight-year veteran, but plenty of room is left over to sign Greg Monroe to a max contract. Monroe is reportedly meeting with the Knicks and three other teams, including Portland.

Knicks Sign Robin Lopez

July 9th, 2015 at 12:42pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 9TH, 12:42pm: The deal is official, the Knicks announced (on Twitter).

2:15pm: Jordan’s representatives have told the Knicks that they’re out of the running, so the Lopez deal will be a go at the end of the July Moratorium, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter).

1:44pm: The contract would contain no option clauses, a source tells Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck (Twitter link).

JULY 3RD, 12:54pm: The deal would be for four years and $54MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who reiterates that it’s contingent on the Knicks falling short in their long shot effort to sign Jordan (Twitter links).

10:22pm: A source close to Lopez says the big man has committed to join the Knicks, but his deal is in a holding pattern until DeAndre Jordan makes his final decision, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

JULY 2ND, 8:23pm: Free agent center Robin Lopez is engaged in discussions with the Knicks on a deal that would pay him in the range of $12M-$13M per season, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). The Knicks are also looking at trying to land DeAndre Jordan after missing out on Greg Monroe, who agreed to sign with the Bucks earlier today. The Knicks would also target Roy Hibbert via a trade with the Pacers if they miss on Jordan and Lopez, Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today reported earlier.

Lopez came away from his Wednesday night meeting with the team possessing a positive impression of New York, Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes. “Interest is mutual,” a source said. “That’s for sure.” The 27-year-old is also garnering serious interest from the Lakers, Wojnarowski adds. Both franchises have a profound need of depth at the pivot, and the defensive-minded Lopez would be a solid fit for either franchise. The Pelicans and Bucks were also reported to be interested in Lopez at the commencement of the free agent signing period.

The seven-footer made 59 appearances for the Blazers last season, averaging 9.6 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 1.4 blocks in 27.8 minutes per game. His career numbers through seven NBA seasons are 8.2 PPG, 5.0 RPG, and 1.2 BPG, with a slash line of .532/.000/.759.

Wizards Sign Gary Neal

July 9th, 2015 at 12:39pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 9TH, 12:39pm: The deal is official, the Wizards announced.

“Gary is a proven veteran who will bring us perimeter shooting and experience,“ GM Ernie Grunfeld said. “Adding him to our rotation makes our backcourt rotation deeper and more versatile.“

JULY 3RD, 2:21pm: The Wizards will sign Gary Neal for one year and $2.1MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Washington will use its biannual exception, worth $2.139MM, to accommodate the contract, a source tells Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). That leaves the $5.464MM mid-level exception for reported target David West, Wojnarowski notes (on Twitter).

Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities raised the possibility of a sign-and-trade deal that would preserve Washington’s biannual when he reported interest in Neal from the Bulls, but it looks at this point that it’ll be a straight signing. The David Bauman client drew the eye of the Wizards this past season, when they would have had interest in signing him if he had engineered a buyout from the Timberwolves, as J. Michael of CSNWashington.com reported then.

Washington appealed to the guard based on its proximity to his hometown in Baltimore and the presence of starters John Wall and Bradley Beal, TNT’s David Aldridge tweets. His deal is a slight pay drop from the two-year, $6.5MM deal he signed in 2013, even though his scoring was up from his time with the Spurs.

Bucks Sign Greg Monroe To Max

July 9th, 2015 at 12:33pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 9TH, 12:33pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

“The entire Bucks organization is thrilled to welcome Greg to Milwaukee,” GM John Hammond said. “Greg will be a fantastic complement to the talented young roster we’re assembling. The fact that he chose Milwaukee speaks volumes about the culture we’re developing and the bright future we envision for the Bucks.”

“Greg is a skilled low-post scorer and rebounder, and will add a whole new dimension to our young roster,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s just 25 years old and still scratching the surface of his potential. I’m looking forward to helping him develop along with our other talented young players.”

11:40am: Falk strongly denies to Marc Berman of the New York Post that the Knicks didn’t offer the max (Twitter links), and confirms to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that the Lakers and Blazers did, too, with Milwaukee’s playoff-readiness at the heart of Monroe’s decision (Twitter link).

10:37am: The Knicks, Lakers and Blazers also offered the max, as Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck hears, so that’s conflicting information on New York’s offer (Twitter link). The max for three years will be an estimated $50MM, as Wojnarowski pegs it in his full story.

9:20am: It’ll be a three-year contract with a player option on the final season, Wojnarowski tweets. Monroe will be eligible for a higher max bracket in two years, just as the salary cap is projected to reach its peak.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 2ND, 9:02am: Greg Monroe will sign a maximum-salary contract with the Bucks, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). The David Falk client was to meet with the Knicks, who long appeared the front-runners for him, as well as the Lakers and Blazers. The Knicks didn’t offer the max to Monroe, as USA Today’s Jeff Zillgitt hears, perhaps explaining why he didn’t end up in New York (Twitter link). He’ll make about $16MM this coming season on a max deal, though it’s not immediately clear how long the contract, which can’t become official until the July Moratorium ends next week, will run.

Milwaukee has reportedly been keen on signing a marquee center, having eyed Tyson Chandler and Brook Lopez, among others, and Monroe, No. 7 on our Free Agent Power Rankings from last month, fits the bill. The Bucks will have to sign him using cap room, meaning his deal will almost certainly become official before Khris Middleton’s reported five-year, $70MM pact does, since Middleton’s cap hold will balloon from $2.725MM to eight figures once he signs.

It’s no surprise that Monroe is leaving the Pistons, as even though Falk and Monroe insisted that Detroit had a shot to keep him, with Monroe going so far as to say the Pistons had the “upper hand” at one point, it seemed a strong bet that he’d leave ever since he signed his qualifying offer from the Pistons last year. The Pistons reportedly offered less than the max when Monroe was a restricted free agent in 2014, so it appears his gamble paid off. I thought he’d at least come close to the max when I examined his free agent stock this past spring.

Bucks Re-Sign Khris Middleton

July 9th, 2015 at 12:30pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 9TH, 12:30pm: The deal is official, the team announced.

“Khris played a huge role in our turnaround last season and has become a leader on our young team,” GM John Hammond said. “Keeping Khris in a Bucks uniform was a huge priority for us this offseason, and we’re thrilled that he’ll continue to grow with our young core as we work towards building a championship-caliber team in Wisconsin.”

9:46am: Milwaukee and the Mike Lindeman client indeed have an agreement, reports Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press.

JULY 1ST, 2:28am: The Bucks and restricted free agent Khris Middleton are close to signing a new deal, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports. The proposed arrangement will be for five years, and $70MM, Stein notes. The deal will include a player option for the fifth year, adds Stein. Milwaukee had tendered Middleton a qualifying offer worth $2.275MM, and would have had the right to match any offer sheet the forward were to sign with another franchise.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

It doesn’t come as a shock that Middleton will return to Milwaukee, as the Bucks were set to match any offer sheets for the restricted free agent, according to a previous report by Stein. The ESPN scribe had pegged the degree of certainty that Middleton would be back with the Bucks in 2015/16 as a 10 on a scale of 1 to 10. Retaining Middleton and signing a big man in free agency are Milwaukee’s top two offseason priorities, Stein adds (via Twitter).

Middleton’s proposed deal would be for less then the league maximum, but not by much. A league executive had told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News that the young forward would draw an offer of around $15MM annually, with the max being an estimated $15.8MM for a player with his experience level, while another executive told Gery Woelfel of the Journal Times that he doubted Middleton would command that amount, and estimated the 23-year-old would only receive $9MM per year on his next deal. Deveney’s estimation was closer, with Middleton’s average annual salary on the pact coming in at approximately $14MM per season.

In 79 appearances this past campaign, including 58 as a starter, Middleton averaged 13.4 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists in 30.1 minutes per night. His career numbers are 11.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, and 2.0 APG, with a shooting line of .453/.403/.858.

Nets Ink Thomas Robinson

July 9th, 2015 at 12:27pm CST by Eddie Scarito

JULY 9TH, 12:27pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.

5:30pm: Robinson’s deal will be for the league minimum, Tim Bontemps of The New York Post tweets.

JULY 2ND, 4:44pm: The Nets are close to signing free agent Thomas Robinson, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter links). It will be a two year contract with a player option for 2016/17, Kennedy adds. Robert Windrem of NetsDaily first reported that the two sides shared mutual interest. The Spurs also were noted to have some level of interest in the free agent.

Robinson considered signing with the Nets last season after being waived by the Nuggets, with the forward reportedly agreeing to sign a 10-day contract with Brooklyn before being claimed by the Sixers. The 24-year-old is well-traveled, having played for five NBA teams since being selected with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.

In 32 appearances for Philadelphia last season, Robinson logged 8.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 18.5 minutes per game. His career numbers are 5.1 PPG, 4.8 RPG, and 0.6 APG, with a slash line of .463/.000/.538.

Nets Sign Shane Larkin

July 9th, 2015 at 12:26pm CST by Chuck Myron

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 9TH, 12:26pm: The deal is official, the Nets announced via press release.

JULY 2ND, 1:59pm: The Nets and Shane Larkin have agreed to a two-year, $3MM deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (on Twitter). It’ll include a player option on the second season, Wojnarowski writes in a full story. Brooklyn will use part of its $3.376MM taxpayer’s mid-level exception on the guard who played this past season with the crosstown Knicks.

Larkin confirmed the deal to Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders (Twitter link). The guard wasn’t expected to return to the Knicks, as Newsday’s Al Iannazzone notes (on Twitter). New York declined its team option for 2015/16 on Larkin’s rookie scale contract this past fall, so the most the Knicks could have paid him next season on a new deal was the value of that option, slightly more than $1.675MM. Other teams were free to pay him more, but the Nets don’t appear to have exceeded that amount.

The Relativity Sports client was the 18th overall pick just two years ago, but he saw little playing time for as a rookie for the Mavs, who traded him to New York in the Tyson Chandler deal. Larkin started 22 games for the Knicks last year, but nonetheless moves on. He passed up more money from one of the three of four teams with interest, but goes into a Brooklyn backcourt already well-stocked with point guards, as Mike Mazzeo of ESPNNewYork.com writes on Twitter.

Nets Re-Sign Brook Lopez, Thaddeus Young

July 9th, 2015 at 12:24pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 9TH, 12:23pm: Both deals are official, the Nets announced via press release.

“We are very pleased to welcome Brook and Thaddeus back the Brooklyn Nets,” GM Billy King said. “Brook is one of the premier big men in this league, while Thad proved to be a perfect complement to Brook last year after he was acquired from Minnesota. Being able to re-sign both of our free agent targets allows us to provide the continuity in our frontcourt that we were looking for going into the upcoming season.”

11:02am: Lopez’s deal doesn’t include a player option, after all, according to Bleacher Report’s Howard Beck (Twitter link).

10:35am: The Nets and both players have indeed reached agreement, according to Wojnarowski (on Twitter). Young is getting a player option, too.

12:55am: Lopez’s deal will include a player option after the second season, Wojnarowski reports.

Courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

JULY 1ST, 12:04am: The Nets appear to be all but finished securing Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young, as expected. A source close to the talks told Marc Stein of ESPN.com to “consider them done deals” (Twitter link). Lopez is expected to sign for three years and $60MM, which is about the maximum, while Young is expected to get four years and $50MM, according to Stein.

This news doesn’t come as a surprise, with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports previously reporting that Brooklyn was the frontrunner to re-sign both players. The Nets have reportedly been planning to pay Lopez his full market value, although the agreement could include some financial protections for Brooklyn should a recurrence of the seven-footer’s past foot issues sideline him again, Wojnarowski noted. Lopez could also opt to have the agreement include a player option for the third year, which would allow him to re-enter free agency after the maximum contract salaries elevate with the flow of new television money.

Young had reportedly been leaning toward opting out back in May, though Young’s agent, Jim Tanner, had suggested that he instead opt in and hit free agency next summer, when the salary cap is projected to surge. The 27-year-old averaged 14.1 points and 5.4 rebounds in 32.0 minutes per game this season, and was acquired by Brooklyn in a midseason trade with Minnesota. Young will still likely listen to pitches from other teams despite the mutual interest in a return to Brooklyn, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports. The Magic are reportedly interested in signing the forward, per Michael Scotto of SheridanHoops.

Latest On Tim Duncan, Spurs

July 9th, 2015 at 12:14pm CST by Chuck Myron

JULY 9TH, 12:14pm: Duncan and the Spurs are making progress toward a two-year deal worth $5MM in the first season, with a player option for year two, TNT’s David Aldridge reports (on Twitter).

JULY 2ND, 12:52pm: Tim Duncan will “be on the court next year,” he tells Mike Monroe of the San Antonio Express-News, ostensibly signaling that he will return to the Spurs rather than retire (Twitter links). The Spurs have been operating on the premise that the legendary big man would indeed be back, as Bleacher Report’s Ric Bucher and Ken Berger of CBSSports.com made clear in May reports, though the most recent dispatch indicated that Duncan still hadn’t made up his mind.

Duncan is still a free agent, though he said to Monroe that he spoke to Spurs president/coach Gregg Popovich in recent days as the team prepared its pitch to LaMarcus Aldridge. Duncan’s willingness to take a discount will play heavily into San Antonio’s ability to offer Aldridge a max deal, though the Jim Tanner client has long shown a willingness to sacrifice for the betterment of the Spurs, and he seems poised to play for less than the nearly $10.362MM he saw this past season.

Duncan’s longtime teammate Manu Ginobili has yet to announce his decision about retiring or coming back to play, though Tony Parker recently expressed confidence that both Duncan and Ginobili would be back. However, Ginobili’s return seems less of a safe bet than Duncan’s was, as Bucher and Berger’s reports conflicted on whether the Spurs thought the Argentinian swingman would retire.