Spurs Sign Boban Marjanovic
FRIDAY, 7:08pm: The Spurs have issued a press release announcing the deal is official.
TUESDAY, 8:28am: The Spurs haven’t made an official announcement, but the signing has taken place, as the RealGM transactions log shows.
1:38pm: It’s a one-year deal, agent Misko Raznatovic tells Pick (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 1:09pm: The Spurs and All-Euroleague First Team center Boban Marjanovic have a deal, reports David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter links). The Serbian who turns 27 in August has blossomed overseas since going undrafted in 2010.
Marjanovic spent the past season with KK Crvena Zvezda in his home country, averaging 13.1 points and 8.6 rebounds in 22.4 minutes per game. His size is an asset, as he’s variously listed at either 7’3″ or 7’4″. Still, he posted only 0.9 blocks per contest this year, though that might be because few dare to challenge him at the rim.
Financial terms are unclear for the BeoBasket client, though San Antonio appears to have exhausted its cap room, and the room exception seems ticketed for Manu Ginobili. That would leave only the rookie minimum salary of $525,093 for Marjanovic unless the Spurs can make more cap-clearing moves.
Bucks Sign First-Rounder Rashad Vaughn
The Bucks have officially signed Rashad Vaughn to a rookie scale contract, the team has announced. The guard out of UNLV was the No. 17 overall selection in this year’s NBA Draft. Vaughn was the Mountain West Conference’s Freshman of the Year for the 2014/15 season.
Vaughn will earn more than $1.733MM this coming season in the first year of a four-year deal, presuming he receives the standard 120% of the rookie scale, which is most likely the case. The player can expect to take home $1,811,040 in 2016/17, $1,889,040 in 2017/18, and $2,901,565 in the contract’s final year.
The 18-year-old spent one season with the Runnin’ Rebels, appearing in 23 games and averaging 17.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists. His shooting numbers were .439/.383/.694. He was the No. 38 overall ranked player in this year’s draft according to Jonathan Givony of DraftExpress, while Chad Ford of ESPN.com rated Vaughn as a first round pick, slotting him at No. 22 overall.
Suns Ink Mirza Teletovic
JULY 17TH, 4:21pm: The Suns have officially announced the signing. “We have followed Mirza Teletovic’s career for a long time and we are excited to have him wear a Suns uniform,” said GM Ryan McDonough. “Mirza is one of the best shooting big men in the world and we think his skill set will be a great fit for our style of play.”
JULY 9TH, 5:42pm: The Suns will sign Mirza Teletovic to a one-year deal for $5.5MM, TNT’s David Aldridge reports (Twitter link). The move comes shortly after the Nets pulled their qualifying offer to the forward earlier today, making him an unrestricted free agent. Phoenix is likely using cap space to accommodate the transaction.
The client of Jeff Schwartz and Mike Lindeman ends up with a deal that’s about $1.3MM more lucrative than he’d have had if he’d simply signed the more than $4.21MM qualifyer while it was on the table. The agreement with Phoenix comes as somewhat of a surprise, as aside from a vague link to the Spurs, it didn’t seem as though any NBA team other than the Nets had much interest. Nets GM Billy King said this morning that the Nets and Teletovic were in talks and that he was hopeful of re-signing the three-year veteran, but Brooklyn never made Teletovic a priority this offseason, according to Mike Mazzeo of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Teletovic, who turns 30 in September, was to have missed the rest of the season when doctors diagnosed him with blood clots in his lungs after a game in January, but he came back for the playoffs and appeared in three games during Brooklyn’s first-round series loss to the Hawks. He was a significant part of Brooklyn’s rotation prior to the ailment, averaging 22.3 minutes per game this past season.
Suns Sign Ronnie Price
JULY 17TH, 4:17pm: The deal is official, Phoenix announced. “The Suns are pleased to welcome Ronnie Price and his family back to Phoenix,” said president of basketball operations Lon Babby. “As we know, Ronnie is the consummate professional and a great teammate.”
JULY 8TH, 4:24pm: The Suns have reached an agreement with unrestricted free agent Ronnie Price, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports (Twitter link). The deal is a one-year, minimum salary arrangement, Coro notes. Price is in line to make $1,499,187 as 10-year vet, with the Suns responsible only for the $947,276 two-year veteran’s minimum and the league picking up the rest, since it’s a one-year deal. The veteran point guard spent the 2011/12 season with Phoenix.
Price spent the 2014/15 campaign with the Lakers, appearing in 43 contests, including 20 as a starter. His numbers were 5.1 points, 1.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists, with a slash line of .345/.284/.800. Through 468 career games the point guard is averaging 3.6 PPG, 1.2 RPG, and 1.7 APG, while shooting .374/.291/.735.
The 32-year-old had expressed a desire to return to the Lakers back in April, even if it was as a third-string guard. “I enjoyed being a voice in the locker room. I enjoyed being able to help younger guys. I helped great veterans that can help me. I’d be selfish not to extend that knowledge to players that are younger than me,” Price told Mark Medina of The Los Angeles Daily News. “Of course you want to play. That’s why we do what we do. You want to play. You never know what’s ahead. Whatever role is my role, I’ll embrace it whether it’s being here or the third guard.” Price should certainly see more playing time in Phoenix, who is in need of depth in its backcourt.
Suns Sign Sonny Weems
JULY 17TH, 4:13pm: The signing is official, the Suns announced. “Sonny Weems has been one of the best players outside of the NBA over the past few years,” said GM Neil McDonough. “We’ve seen him dominate high-level competition at both ends of the floor and we think his versatility and experience help solidify our wing rotation.”
4:16pm: The second year of the deal is a team option, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports (Twitter link).
JULY 8TH, 2:50pm: The Suns have agreed to a two-year, $5.8MM deal with Sonny Weems, reports Chris Broussard of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The former Nuggets and Raptors swingman who turns 29 today hasn’t played in the NBA since the 2010/11 season with Toronto. The Suns still have cap room to sign him, but this deal would appear to fit within the room exception.
Weems’ career NBA numbers through 140 contests are 7.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 20.3 minutes per game. His NBA shooting line is .474/.241/.717.
The swingman has spent the last three seasons with the Russian club CSKA Moscow. Weems appeared in 166 games split between the Euroleague and the VTB United League, averaging 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game for CSKA.
Spurs Sign David West
JULY 17TH, 12:34pm: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.
10:08pm: It’s a one-year deal, as Jon Krawczynski of The Associated Press hears (Twitter link).
JULY 6TH, 3:27pm: The Spurs scored another free agent coup, agreeing to terms with David West, reports TNT’s David Aldridge (Twitter link). It’ll be for just the minimum salary, Aldridge adds (on Twitter). That’s a remarkable financial sacrifice for the sought-after veteran who turned down a $12.6MM player option with the Pacers last month.
The Cavaliers appeared to have the edge over San Antonio as of this weekend, but the Spurs beat Cleveland and a wider field of suitors that reportedly included the Wizards, Heat and Warriors. The Lance Young client denied a report that came out on draft night that he was likely to sign with the Knicks, making it clear that he instead wanted a team much closer to title contention.
West didn’t seem to have much interest in re-signing with the Pacers, having been turned off by the team’s open criticism of Roy Hibbert, and West believed that Indiana wasn’t close enough to title contention for his liking. The Pacers went to back-to-back Eastern Conference Finals in 2013 and 2014, but fell out of the playoffs this past season thanks chiefly to Paul George‘s injury and Lance Stephenson‘s departure.
San Antonio should give West no such reservations about his chances at a title. The agreement with West is just the latest coup for the Spurs, who’ve already agreed to sign LaMarcus Aldridge and to re-sign Kawhi Leonard and Danny Green. Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili have also said they’re playing again this season instead of retiring.
Nets Sign Andrea Bargnani
JULY 17TH, 11:03am: The signing is official, the team announced via press release.
“Andrea will give us the ability to space the floor and complement our other frontcourt players,” King said in the team’s statement.
Bargnani didn’t want to leave New York and personally appealed to the Nets to sign him, Windrem tweets.
JULY 12TH, 5:08pm: The Nets have agreed to sign Andrea Bargnani, Brooklyn GM Billy King announced (Twitter link). The big man will receive the veteran’s minimum on a two-year deal with a player option in the second year, tweets Robert Windrem of NetsDaily.com, who cites a league source.
Bargnani has been linked to the Kings, but instead decided to take less money and join the Nets, ESPN.com’s Marc Stein reports (Twitter link). Sacramento pitched a two-year deal, Stein adds. Earlier Sunday, Stein reported that the Kings were close to signing the big man, but the Nets apparently swooped in and landed him.
It’s a low-risk move for the Nets, who have Thaddeus Young at power forward and Brook Lopez at center. Bargnani is a big man with offensive skills, but is often injured and therefore has missed significant time the last three seasons. He has also never been considered a strong defender.
The nine-year veteran was the overall number one pick in the 2006 NBA draft. He spent seven years in Toronto before being traded to New York in 2013. Bargnani earlier indicated that he was considering several options in free agency, including signing with a team in Europe. The Knicks were reportedly interested in keeping him, but only on a minimum-salary deal. Bargnani, who will turn 30 in October, played in only 71 of a possible 164 games for the Knicks.
Clippers Sign Josh Smith
8:39pm: The signing is official, the Clippers announced.
5:40pm: The deal is for one year and the veteran’s minimum, Brad Turner of The Los Angeles Times tweets.
4:15pm: The Clippers and unrestricted free agent Josh Smith are finalizing a deal that would bring the veteran to Los Angeles for next season, both Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops (on Twitter) and Shams Charania of RealGM report (Twitter links). Smith’s agent, Wallace Prather, confirms that the two sides have come to terms on a one-year contract, Marc Berman of Fox 26 tweets.
The 29-year-old appeared in 55 games for the Rockets last season after he was surprisingly waived by the Pistons, averaging 12.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.6 assists in 25.5 minutes per contest. His career numbers through 11 seasons in the NBA are 15.1 PPG, 7.7 RPG, and 3.2 APG, with a slash line of .455/.285/.633.
Ramona Shelburne of ESPN.com reported on Monday that the Clippers were interested in Smith, and the Kings and Mavericks were also reportedly keen on adding the forward to their rosters. Smith had also expressed a strong interest in re-signing with Rockets, who certainly helped him rebuild his career in the wake of his unceremonious exit from Detroit.
The Clippers have been quite active this offseason in addressing their needs for outside shooting. The team also signed veteran small forward Paul Pierce, and acquired swingman Lance Stephenson from the Hornets. Smith can certainly provide depth at both forward spots, though his questionable shot selection has made coaches and fans scream in frustration on numerous occasions throughout his career.
Spurs Re-Sign Kawhi Leonard For Five Years
JULY 16TH, 4:05pm: The deal is official, the Spurs announced in a press release.
JULY 1ST, 4:00pm: The deal includes a player option for the fifth year, Zach Lowe of Grantland reports (on Twitter).
JUNE 30TH, 11:13pm: The Spurs will re-sign Kawhi Leonard for five years and an estimated $90MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. The sides have agreed to a framework of a deal, as Wojnarowski details.
“I have every intention of signing with the San Antonio Spurs,” Leonard said in a statement, as Wojnarowski passes along. “There are details in the contract which need to be worked out with the organization. I am confident that this will be accomplished.”
The deal was agreed to just minutes after midnight on the East Coast, but the two sides still have to iron out some specifics over the next several days. The language in the statement (“every intention”) and the report (“agreed to the framework”) could be an inference to suggest that the Spurs will take their time in finalizing the pact. By waiting, the Spurs could avoid getting charged with max cap hit so that Leonard’s cap hold stays low, thereby preserving cap room for other free agents.
Leonard, 24, averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists last season. While Tim Duncan and Tony Parker were the anchors for many elite Spurs outfits, Leonard can be expected to be the cornerstone of future contending teams. Leonard’s resume includes the 2014 Finals MVP and this past season’s Defensive Player of the Year award.
Back in April, it was reported that Leonard was unlikely to pursue offer sheets, even though he had the ability to as a restricted free agent.
Pelicans Sign Alonzo Gee
JULY 16TH, 3:01pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
JULY 10TH, 10:16am: The Pelicans and Alonzo Gee will sign a deal worth two years and $2.75MM, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). It’ll include a player option, Wojnarowski also hears (Twitter link). Gee comes from the Trail Blazers, where he quickly developed a bond with LaMarcus Aldridge during the short time they were teammates following the deadline-day trade that brought Gee to Portland.
The Happy Walters client would make about $2.5MM on a two-year minimum-salary deal, and this deal appears to be for slightly more than that, meaning that New Orleans is likely using either part of its $5.464MM mid-level exception or its $2.139MM biannual exception. Gee made the minimum last season after signing before training camp with the Nuggets, who shipped him to Portland in that deadline trade. The 28-year-old averaged only 12.3 minutes per game in 2014/15, but he started all 82 games for the Cavs in 2012/13 and gives new Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry another option at small forward, a consistent trouble spot for the team.
A new deal between Gee and the Blazers didn’t appear out of the question as the offseason began, but Aldridge’s departure no doubt hastened his exit from Portland, and the Blazers renounced his rights Thursday. Gee was traded three times last summer, but his deal with the Pelicans means he can’t be traded until December 15th this year.