Heat Acquire Goran Dragic
7:38pm: The trade is now official, the Pelicans and Suns have announced. New Orleans acquired Norris Cole, Shawne Williams, Justin Hamilton and cash considerations from Miami, the Suns get John Salmons from the Pelicans and Danny Granger from the Heat, and Miami garners Goran Dragic and Zoran Dragic from the Suns. Phoenix also received Miami’s 2017 first-round pick (top seven protected) and Miami’s unprotected 2021 first-round pick as part of the deal. Phoenix is waiving Salmons, per the Suns’ official press release.
3:36pm: The expectation is that the Heat will offer Dragic a five-year max deal this summer, according to Ramona Shelburne of ESPNLosAngeles.com (Twitter link).
2:48pm: There are other components to the trade agreement, which also involves the Pelicans, as we explain here.
2:09pm: The Suns will get Danny Granger and 2017 and 2019 first-round picks with protections for Dragic, according to Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter).
Granger, 32 in April, has averaged 6.3 PPG and 2.7 RPG for the Heat this season since coming back from a hamstring injury. Of course, the draft picks are the center of the deal for Phoenix and not the veteran forward. Granger is earning $2.1MM this season and he also has a player option for the same amount in 2015/16.
1:49pm: The Heat and Suns have agreed to a deal that sends Goran Dragic to Miami, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Heat have long coveted Dragic and view him as just the sort of player they need to make a playoff push, Chris Mannix of SI tweets.
The Heat currently stand at 22-30 with a leg up over the likes of the Nets, Celtics, PIstons, and Pacers for the eighth and final spot in the Eastern Conference playoffs.
Pelicans Release Toney Douglas
6:58pm: New Orleans has officially released Douglas, the team has announced. The Pelicans roster count stands at 13 players.
2:35pm: The Pelicans are releasing Toney Douglas from his 10-day contract, reports Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). Douglas just signed the pact Wednesday. New Orleans will be on the hook for the full $53,838 value of the deal. Douglas immediately goes to free agency, since waivers aren’t involved with 10-day deals.
Douglas appeared in three games for New Orleans, averaging 9.0 points, 4.0 assists, 2.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals in 22.0 minutes per game.
Kings, Wizards Swap Sessions, Miller
4:53pm: The Kings have followed with an official announcement of their own.
“Adding Andre bolsters our backcourt with one of the most prolific ball distributors in the game,” Kings GM Pete D’Alessandro said. “He’ll also provide veteran leadership to the locker room and a wealth of experience at the point guard position. We’re excited to have him join the team. We also want to thank Ramon and wish him the best moving forward.”
4:13pm: The deal is official, the Wizards announce.
“Ramon is a proven veteran who will bring an up-tempo style to our second unit and give us quickness, energy and defensive presence,“ Wizards GM Ernie Grunfeld said. “He can make plays for himself as well as others and will help to solidify our bench as we head into the final 28 games of the season and the playoffs.“
11:02am: The Kings and Wizards have agreed to swap Ramon Sessions and Andre Miller, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). New Kings coach George Karl had pushed to acquire Miller, whom he coached in Denver, Wojnarowski writes in a full story. The Wizards had been seeking an upgrade in the backcourt as Miller had lost playing time to Garrett Temple of late.
Suns, Heat, Pelicans Agree To Trade
4:46pm: John Reid of The Times-Picayune has Cole going to New Orleans in the deal. In his summary, it’s Cole, Hamilton and Williams to the Pelicans and Salmons to the Suns. Paul Coro of the Arizona Republic has the Suns getting Miami’s 2017 and 2021 first-rounders, Salmons and Danny Granger (Twitter links). Miami’s 2017 pick is top-seven protected and the 2021 selection is unprotected, Coro notes. However, there’s confusion even among some executives, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
4:17pm: Jeff Zillgitt of USA Today has Hamilton headed to the Pelicans and not the Suns (Twitter link).
2:28pm: Cole and Salmons are part of a larger deal involving Goran Dragic, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Cole, Justin Hamilton and two first-round picks go to Phoenix for Dragic and Zoran Dragic, while Salmons goes from New Orleans to Phoenix. Shawne Williams head to New Orleans (All Twitter links).
2:17pm: The Pelicans are acquiring Norris Cole from the Heat, a source tells Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter link). John Salmons is headed to Miami, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com (on Twitter).
Nuggets Sign Joffrey Lauvergne
4:02pm: Denver has once more announced the signing and restored the press release to the team website.
2:59pm: The Nuggets sent out a press release recalling the announcement of the signing, and the page about the pact that was on their website has been replaced by an error message.
FEBRUARY 19TH, 2:37pm: The deal is official, the Nuggets announced.
FEBRUARY 11TH, 4:27pm: The Nuggets and Lauvergne are finalizing a two-year, fully guaranteed deal worth more than the minimum salary, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). The pact will also contain a team option for a third season, Charania notes.
6:02pm: The Nuggets and Lauvergne should reach an agreement on a multi-year contract by next week, Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post reports (Twitter links).
FEBRUARY 5TH, 8:16am: Khimki Moscow and Lauvergne have officially parted ways, the team announced (hat tip to Sportando’s Emiliano Carchia). The Nuggets face “logistical hurdles” before they can formally bring him stateside, a league source told Wojnarowski for his full story, but ostensibly, Khimki Moscow’s announcement clears one of them.
FEBRUARY 4TH, 8:55pm: The Nuggets are working on a deal to sign 6’11” forward Joffrey Lauvergne, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter link). Lauvergne was set to cut ties earlier today with Khimki Moscow, his Russian team, a source told David Pick of Eurobasket.com (Twitter link). The Nuggets currently have 14 players on their roster, so no corresponding roster move would be required in order to ink Lauvergne.
The 23-year-old Frenchman was originally selected by the Grizzlies with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2013 NBA draft. Lauvergne was subsequently dealt to the Nuggets, along with Darrell Arthur, for Kosta Koufos.
Lauvergne was averaging 7.9 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 1.1 assists in 18.1 minutes per game for Khimki Moscow this season. His career European professional numbers are 6.6 PPG, 4.5 RPG, and 0.6 APG. His career slash line is .476/.269/.694.
Warriors Sign James McAdoo For Season
3:04pm: The signing is official, the Warriors announced.
1:46pm: The Warriors have agreed to sign James Michael McAdoo for the rest of the season with a partial guarantee for 2015/2016, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). That pact will be completed barring a conflicting buzzer-beating trade, Spears adds.
McAdoo, 22, has averaged 3.5 PPG and 1.3 RPG in four games for the Warriors this season. Prior to the 2014 draft, McAdoo spoke with Hoops Rumors about his collegiate career and NBA goals.
Sixers Acquire JaVale McGee, First-Rounder
2:41pm: The deal is official, the Nuggets announced. It’s McGee, the rights to Maduabum, and the first-rounder that Oklahoma City owed the Nuggets heading to Philly in exchange for the rights to Akyol.
1:07pm: The Sixers also received the rights to Nigerian forward Chu Chu Maduabum from Denver in the trade, according to Marc J. Spears of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter).
11:29am: The rights to draft-and-stash prospect Cenk Akyol are headed from the Sixers to the Nuggets, tweets Orazio Cauchi of Sportando.
11:17am: Denver will get the rights to one of the foreign players stashed overseas by the Sixers, a source tells Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated (via Twitter). Mannix also notes that the Nuggets will create a sizable trade exception in the deal.
10:58am: The Nuggets and Sixers have agreed to send JaVale McGee to Philly, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) Wojnarowski had just reported that the sides were deep in talks (Twitter link). Philadelphia gets the Thunder’s 2015 first-round pick, which Denver picked up in the Timofey Mozgov trade last month, according to Wojnarowski. Christopher Dempsey of The Denver Post reported moments earlier that the Nuggets were closing in on a trade involving McGee.
McGee missed most of 2013/14 thanks to stress fracture in his leg and has also missed time this year because of an injury in the same area. Across the last two seasons, McGee has played in a grand total of 22 games for the Nuggets. The high-flying 7-footer has career averages of 8.5 PPG and 5.6 RPG. His best season arguably came in 2011/12, split between the Wizards and Nuggets, where he averaged 11.3 PPG and 7.8 RPG in 25.2 minutes per night.
Denver reportedly wanted to move McGee more than any other player on the roster. They tried repeatedly to swing a deal for Brook Lopez with the Nets involving McGee, but that never came to fruition.
Blazers Acquire Arron Afflalo
1:17pm: Denver has followed with a press release announcing the deal, too. There’s no mention of a separate second-rounder changing hands, apart from the two second-rounders that would go to the Nuggets if the protected first-rounder doesn’t convey.
1:05pm: The Blazers announced that the deal is now official.
“Arron is a proven winner with playoff experience who will be easily integrated into our culture,” Blazers GM Neil Olshey said. “He possesses a skill set that compliments our style of play on both ends of the floor and will make an immediate impact as we continue our playoff push. Alonzo is an elite athlete and defender who adds a unique element to our perimeter. We thank Thomas, Will and Victor for their contributions to the team and wish them all the best for the future.”
10:33am: The Nuggets and Blazers have struck a deal that will send Arron Afflalo to Portland, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Will Barton, Victor Claver, Thomas Robinson, a future lottery-protected first-round pick and a second-round pick go to the Nuggets, who also give up Alonzo Gee, according to Wojnarowski (Twitter links). The first-rounder headed Denver’s way is for 2016, and is again lottery protected in 2017 if it doesn’t convey that year, Wojnarowski tweets, adding that if it doesn’t get to Denver in 2017, it becomes two future second-round picks.
Marc Stein of ESPN.com reported this week that the Blazers appeared the front-runners for Afflalo and that the Nuggets appeared poised to receive the first-rounder they sought for him. It appeared some other teams tried to make a late run at him but fell short.
Afflalo, 29, has been averaging 14.5 PPG and 3.9 RPG in 33 minutes per contest this season. Meanwhile, the guard’s below average 11.7 PER rating is his worst in several years. However, Afflalo is only a year and change removed from his time in Orlando where he was regarded as one of the league’s brighter two guards under the age of 30. For his career, Afflalo has averaged 11.5 PPG, 3.0 RPG, and 2.0 APG for the Pistons, Magic, and Nuggets. In total, he has shot 38.4% from downtown.
The Blazers, at 36-17, are currently tied for third place in the Western Conference with the Rockets.
Grizzlies Re-Sign JaMychal Green
THURSDAY, 12:34pm: The Grizzlies formally announced the signing via press release.
TUESDAY, 12:24pm: The Grizzlies and JaMychal Green have agreed to what will be the power forward’s second 10-day contract with the team, sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM. The first expired with the beginning of the All-Star break last week. It’ll be the third 10-day pact for the power forward, who spent a single 10-day stint with the Spurs last month, but this will be the last short-term arrangement he can sign with Memphis this season, which would have to sign him for at least the balance of the season next time.
Green has been much sought-after, with the Knicks, Bucks, Bulls and Blazers apparently interested after he began the season with San Antonio’s D-League affiliate. He averaged 23.0 points and 10.7 rebounds in 31.6 minutes per game across 20 D-League appearances this year, though his NBA playing time has been sparse, as he’s seen just 6.3 MPG in six total regular season games with Memphis and San Antonio.
The move will restore the Grizzlies to a full 15-man roster, assuming they don’t make any other transactions before Green’s signing takes place. Memphis is relatively close to the tax threshold, but another 10-day contract for Green, who’s in his first season of NBA regular season action, almost certainly won’t cost more than the minimum salary of $29,843.
Amar’e Stoudemire Joins Mavs
WEDNESDAY, 4:23pm: The Mavs have officially signed Stoudemire, the team announced in a press release. “I’m excited to be a part of a first-class organization,” Stoudemire said. “To play alongside Dirk Nowitzki, Tyson Chandler and other great players, I think it’s a tremendous opportunity for me to compete for a championship.”
MONDAY, 8:37pm: Amar’e Stoudemire has committed to signing with the Mavericks once he clears waivers on Wednesday, league sources tell Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link). The reported agreement doesn’t come as much of a surprise, since Dallas was rumored to be the front-runner to ink the 32-year-old big man once he became a free agent, as Tim MacMahon and Marc Stein of ESPN.com passed along earlier this month. The Knicks cut ties with Stoudemire in a buyout deal this morning.
There was no shortage of suitors for the seven-time All-Star, as in addition to the Mavs, reports linked him to the Blazers, Grizzlies, Spurs, Clippers, Raptors and Warriors. Still, the relationship between Dallas’ coaching staff and front office with Stoudemire’s agents at Relativity Sports looks to have played a key role in his choice to sign with the 36-19 Mavericks. Nothing can become official until S.T.A.T. clears waivers, but there isn’t a team in the league with enough cap space to put a claim in on his massive contract.
The transition from the league-worst Knicks to the playoff bound Mavericks will be a stark one, but it will give Stoudemire a legitimate shot at competing deep into the playoffs rather than putting in work for a lottery-bound New York club. After agreeing to a deal with the Knicks worth nearly $100MM in 2010, New York failed to get past the Eastern Conference Semifinals during Stoudemire’s tenure in the blue and orange. Much of his time with the squad was spent on the bench, as various injuries limited the forward/center from taking the court in four of his nearly five seasons with the team.
Dallas hopes to formally bring aboard Stoudemire on Thursday, according to Stein, who confirms Charania’s report that the 13th-year vet will indeed join the Mavs (Twitter link). Dallas is limited to paying players the minimum salary, so that’s what the agreement will need to be worth once it’s finalized. In 24.0 minutes per game this season, Stoudemire is averaging 12.0 points and 6.8 rebounds. His 19.7 PER this season is below his career mark of 22.0, but comfortably above the league average of 15.0. He’ll fill the role of backup big man for the Mavs, who have been lacking frontcourt depth since Brandan Wright was sent away in the Rajon Rondo trade.