Heat Sign Tyler Johnson To 10-Day Deal
MONDAY, 2:45pm: The deal is official, the team announced.
SUNDAY, 9:01am: The Heat will re-sign Tyler Johnson, as Cody Taylor of Basketball Insiders reports and as a source confirms to Hoops Rumors (Twitter link). It’ll be a 10-day contract, according to Shams Charania of RealGM (Twitter link).
The Heat have an open roster spot and won’t need to make a corresponding move to accommodate the signing. The team originally signed Johnson in August to a multiyear contract, and the team kept his D-League rights when it waived him at the end of preseason.
Miami is struggling this season with a record of 15-21 and the team ranks 27th in the league on offense, scoring only 93.8 points per game. Johnson, a Pedro Power client, has averaged 18.5 points per game and has shot 46.3% from behind the arc in 13 D-League games this season. Perhaps the shooting guard can provide a boost to one of the league’s most stagnant offenses.
Knicks Sign Amundson To 10-Day Deal
SATURDAY, 8:40am: The signing is official, New York has announced.
FRIDAY. 8:42pm: The Knicks continue to look to add to their roster, and now have set their sights on another player that who was acquired in the recent three-way trade with the Cavs and the Thunder. New York is eyeing Louis Amundson for a 10-day deal, Marc Stein of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Amundson, who was waived after being acquired, could be signed as early as Saturday, Stein notes.
Amundson appeared in 12 contests for Cleveland this season, averaging 0.9 points and 1.7 rebounds in 6.6 minutes per contest. His career numbers over 358 games are 3.5 PPG, 3.5 RPG, and 0.7 BPG. His career slash line is .489/.000/.487.
New York’s roster count is currently at 14 players, which includes Lance Thomas, who is also reportedly being inked to a 10-day contract.
Knicks Ink Lance Thomas To 10-Day Pact
SATURDAY, 8:37am: The signing of Thomas is official, the Knicks have announced.
FRIDAY, 8:27pm:The Knicks will sign Lance Thomas to a 10-day contract, Shams Charania of RealGM reports (Twitter link). Thomas had been acquired by New York in the three-way trade with the Thunder and Cavs that sent Dion Waiters to OKC and J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert to Cleveland. Thomas was then waived prior to Wednesday’s deadline so that New York could avoid guaranteeing the remainder of his 2014/15 salary.
Thomas appeared in 22 games for the Thunder this season, including 13 as a starter, averaging 5.1 points and 3,4 rebounds in 20.5 minutes per night. His career averages over 3+ seasons in the league are 3.4 PPG, 2.5 RPG, and 0.4 APG. His career slash line is .428/.000/.759.
This move will increase the Knicks roster count to 14 players. This number also includes Langston Galloway, who is also in New York on a 10-day deal.
Suns Acquire Brandan Wright
5:57pm: The Suns have officially waived Mitchell, the team announced in its press release.
5:27: The trade is official, the Celtics have announced in a press release.
5:07pm: The Suns will waive Tony Mitchell in order to clear a roster spot for Wright, Paul Coro of The Arizona Republic reports (Twitter link).
4:39pm: The Suns are set to acquire center Brandan Wright from the Celtics, Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (Twitter links). Phoenix will be sending Boston the first-round pick that it owns from Minnesota, Wojnarowski adds. The pick is top 12 protected this season, and top 12 protected in 2015/16, and if it does not convey by the 2016 NBA draft, then the pick will turn into two second-rounders. Boston will also create a $5MM trade exception in the deal, an amount equivalent to Wright’s salary. Phoenix currently has 15 players on its roster, so a corresponding move will need to be made prior to completing the deal.
Wright was the centerpiece player in the trade with Dallas for Rajon Rondo, though Celtics president of basketball operations Danny Ainge had recently informed Wright that he was on the trading block. Trading the 27-year-old big man out of North Carolina is the latest step in Ainge’s rebuilding plan in Boston, and the team is obviously valuing the future over the present with its moves this season.
In 320 career games, Wright has averaged 7.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.0 block per game. His career slash line is .609/.000/.685.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Bulls Plan Max Offer For Jimmy Butler
The Bulls fully expect to re-sign Jimmy Butler to a new maximum-salary deal in the summer, and they accept that the contract would put the club in position to pay the luxury tax, reports David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune. Bulls officials are planning a “proactive approach” to have Butler put pen to paper with them before he entertains offers from other clubs in restricted free agency, according to Haugh. Butler will be eligible for a starting salary worth about 25% of next season’s salary cap, unless he wins the MVP and triggers the Derrick Rose Rule, which would allow him about 30% of the cap. The latest league projection indicates that the 25% max will come in at $15.5MM, though that figure won’t be set in stone until July.
Some described the negotiations between Butler and the Bulls this past fall as contentious, according to Haugh, but Butler made it clear in his remarks after passing on an extension offer that reportedly would have entailed $11MM salaries that he’s intent on a long-term future in Chicago. The 25-year-old swingman has since embarked on a career year, but fellow Tribune scribe K.C. Johnson wrote in December that it would be surprising if the Bulls didn’t match any offer that Butler was to receive this summer, seemingly indicating the team’s willingness to pay the max one way or another.
Several executives from around the NBA told Sean Deveney of The Sporting News last month that they believed that Butler would command the max if he kept up his strong start to the season. Butler continues to showcase remarkable gains on the offensive end, averaging 21.7 points per game and 47.8% shooting after putting up 13.1 PPG and 39.7% shooting last season. Butler and agent Happy Walters asked for $14MM a year in extension talks but would have been willing to settle for between $12.5 and $13MM, according to Deveney, so it’s becoming clear that Chicago cost itself when the sides didn’t close a deal.
The former 30th overall pick went from unranked in the first edition of the Hoops Rumors Free Agent Power Rankings, published shortly after the season began, to No. 5 on the latest list, which came out about a month ago. He’s maintained the strong defense that’s long been his hallmark and put up a 22.3 PER that’s the 14th-best mark in the league, according to Basketball-Reference.
Chicago already has nearly $60.2MM in commitments for seven players next season, not counting a player option of almost $2.855MM for Kirk Hinrich. The luxury tax line is projected to come in around $81MM, as Deveney also wrote, so while it seems conceivable that the Bulls could avoid becoming a taxpayer, it would be difficult. The Bulls have been eyeing a lucrative commitment to Butler since the Luol Deng trade a year ago, Haugh writes, noting that the swap helped the team avoid the tax last season and this season, which would have set up Chicago for repeat-offender tax penalties.
Bucks Sign Kenyon Martin To 10-Day Deal
FRIDAY, 9:57am: The deal is official, the Bucks announced.
“Kenyon provides some needed depth to our front court and brings an additional veteran presence to help develop our young team,” Bucks GM John Hammond said in the team’s statement. “He has always been known for his tough-minded, physical approach to the game and we’re excited to welcome him to the Milwaukee Bucks.”
THURSDAY, 8:02am: The Bucks will sign Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract this week, reports Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Milwaukee has 15 players already, so a corresponding move will be necessary. Still, the news is no surprise, since coach Jason Kidd and his staff put Martin through a workout last week. Kidd and Martin were teammates on the Nets in the early 2000s.
Martin also drew attention from the Cavaliers, who have an open roster spot after their pair of trades this week. Still, it appears the Bucks won over the Andy Miller client, who also met with the Grizzlies and the Rockets earlier this season. There were conflicting reports about whether those visits with Memphis and Houston were for playing or coaching positions, but there was no doubt that Milwaukee’s interest was in Martin as a player. The Bucks are still missing Larry Sanders, even though he’s denied retirement rumors, while Ersan Ilyasova is out with a concussion and Jabari Parker is done for the year with a torn ACL. Small forward Damien Inglis is missing the entire season.
Inglis appears like a possible candidate to be let go to accommodate Martin, though Inglis’ salary is guaranteed for next year, too. Nate Wolters has the least amount of guaranteed salary on the books of any member of the Bucks, and the guard has seen action in only 11 games this year after a strong rookie season in 2013/14. Still, it’s unclear whom the Bucks are thinking of offloading.
The 37-year-old Martin, a former No. 1 overall pick, is no stranger to 10-day contracts, having signed two with the Knicks in 2013. New York followed with a contract for the rest of the 2012/13 season and kept him for 2013/14, too.
Bucks Waive Nate Wolters
9:56am: Team has officially waived Wolters, the Bucks announced.
“We appreciate everything Nate gave to the Bucks both on and off the court,” Hammond said. “We know we will see him again in the NBA and wish him well in the future.”
9:21am: The Bucks have waived Wolters, a league source tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link), though the team has yet to make an announcement. A source has told Kennedy the same (Twitter link).
FRIDAY, 8:58am: Milwaukee is signing Martin and waiving Wolters this morning, tweets Charles F. Gardner of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Bucks had trade talks with several teams Thursday but couldn’t strike a deal, Gardner writes in a full story. Jared Karnes, the agent for Wolters, hadn’t received confirmation that the guard would be waived but said that it wouldn’t surprise him if that indeed took place, as Karnes told Gardner on Thursday night.
THURSDAY, 7:12pm: The Bucks haven’t waived Wolters yet, and are trying to find a trade partner for him before taking that route, Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter links). There’s a belief that Wolters won’t clear waivers if cut, which is why teams may want to trade for him now to ensure that they get him, Kennedy adds.
10:34am: The Bucks are expected to waive Nate Wolters to accommodate their 10-day deal with Kenyon Martin, reports Gery Woelfel of The Journal Times (Twitter link). Milwaukee can’t sign Martin unless it offloads one of the 15 players it has on the roster, and it appears Wolters is the one to go, as I speculated, since his contract contains the least amount of guaranteed money among anyone on the Bucks. He’s making the one-year veteran’s minimum salary this year, but next year’s minimum salary is non-guaranteed.
Wolters has seen action in just 11 games so far this season, though he did receive only his second stint of 20 or more minutes since the season began in Wednesday’s blowout win over the Sixers. The 6’4″ combo guard played a much more prominent role last year, starting 31 games and averaging 7.2 points, 3.2 assists and 1.0 turnover in 22.6 minutes per game.
The now 23-year-old Wolters was the 38th overall pick in 2013, so it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team claim his deal off waivers, though that’s just my speculation. He’s on a contract that covers three seasons, so teams would need more than the minimum-salary exception to submit a claim.
Milwaukee is about $7.3MM shy of the salary cap, so if the Bucks are stuck with Wolters’ salary, which would happen if he clears waivers, they’ll still be left with plenty of flexibility. Their team salary as it stands is about $1MM shy of the minimum team salary, but because Milwaukee is still paying money to Drew Gooden, whom the team waived using the amnesty clause in 2013, the Bucks don’t have to make up that gap.
Wolves Ink Miroslav Raduljica To 10-Day Pact
JANUARY 8TH, 5:53pm: The Timberwolves have signed Miroslav Raduljica to a 10-day contract, the team has announced (Twitter link). The center will take the open roster spot the team had created by waiving Jeff Adrien on Wednesday.
JANUARY 2ND, 12:29pm: It looks like Raduljica will end up in Minnesota next week, Wolfson tweets. It’d be surprising if the team lets go of Jeff Adrien to make room on the roster, Wolfson asserts, though Adrien holds the team’s only contract without any guaranteed money.
DECEMBER 29TH: There’s no deal between Raduljica and the Wolves yet, and if it’s to happen, it probably won’t for at least a few more days, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Sunday, Wolfson cautioned that at least one hurdle remained but said that signs pointed toward a pact between Minnesota and the big man (Twitter link).
DECEMBER 28TH: Free agent center Miroslav Raduljica is finalizing a deal to play with Minnesota for the remainder of the season, according to Shams Charania of Real GM. The deal is reported to be fully guaranteed and while there is no salary reported, it is likely a minimum salary arrangement. The Wolves currently have a 15-man roster and will have to unload somebody, by release or by trade, to accommodate the signing.
Raduljica recently agreed upon a buyout with Shandong of the Chinese Basketball Association. The seven-footer played the 2013/14 season with Bucks and shot 54.0% from the field while averaging 3.8 points per game.
Last offseason, Raduljica was traded to the Clippers along with Carlos Delfino and was subsequently waived. The Bucks received Jared Dudley and a first-round draft pick in the deal.
Blazers Ink GM Neil Olshey To Extension
The Trail Blazers have signed GM Neil Olshey to a three-year contract extension, the team has announced. David Aldridge of NBA.com (Twitter link) was the first to report the deal. Olshey has also been named President of Basketball Operations as a part of the arrangement. The deal is fully guaranteed for three years and contains a team option for a fourth season, Sam Amick of USA Today reports (Twitter link).
The 49-year-old Olshey is Portland’s 10th GM in the franchise’s history, and has been with the team since June 4th, 2012. Olshey came to the Blazers from the Clippers, where he served as the team’s Vice President of Basketball Operations for two seasons, and was with Los Angeles for a total of nine years.
“Our team has made great strides under Neil’s leadership, and I am excited to extend his contract,” team owner Paul Allen said. “Neil has done an outstanding job as General Manager by quickly rebuilding our team into a playoff contender. The franchise is clearly on the upswing, and I hope to see further improvements in the years to come.”
“This extension is a validation of the efforts of the entire Trail Blazers front office and an endorsement of the level of commitment expected of us by our owner Paul Allen,” said Olshey. “The level of passion for this franchise by our owner, season ticket holders and fans, drives us to build a team that this community can be proud of.”
In Olshey’s first season in Portland the team went 33-49, but last season the team improved markedly, posting a record of 54-28, which was the largest season-to-season improvement in franchise history and Portland’s sixth-best record all-time.
Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images.
Sixers Release Jared Cunningham
2:56pm: Sixers coach Brett Brown said that the Sixers were able to trade for Cunningham without clearing a roster spot beforehand “because of [Andrei] Kirilenko’s absence, it’s allowed for us to have a flexible spot,” notes Tom Moore of Calkins Media. It remains unclear if that “flexible spot” came about via hardship or another means. Kirilenko hasn’t reported to the Sixers since last month’s trade, and the Sixers are reportedly pushing him to do so. Teams and the NBA both have the ability to suspend players who fail to report following trades, and if the suspension is long enough, clubs can clear an extra roster spot by placing the suspended player on the Suspended List. Still, there’s been no report indicating that the NBA or the Sixers have suspended Kirilenko.
8:32am: The Sixers waived Jared Cunningham as expected Wednesday, according to the RealGM transactions log. The team has yet to make an official announcement. Philadelphia acquired him from the Clippers via trade and quickly released him so that his non-guaranteed contract will have cleared waivers in advance of the leaguewide guarantee date on Saturday. The approximately $388K in salary that Cunningham earned this season while with the Clippers will count against Philadelphia’s cap figure unless another team claims him off waivers, though that matters little to the Sixers, who are still far beneath the $56.759MM minimum team salary.
It’s the second straight year that the 24th overall pick in the 2012 draft has found himself on waivers, after the Hawks let him go shortly after the trade deadline last season. The shooting guard resurfaced on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Kings, who ended up signing him to a contract that covered the rest of the 2013/14 season, so it’s conceivable that he travels that path again. Cunningham beat out sought-after overseas prospect Joe Ingles for an opening-night roster spot on the Clippers but saw just 4.7 minutes per game during the regular season.
Philadelphia’s roster is a bit of a mystery, as the Sixers had 15 players before the Cunningham trade, and teams can’t trade for more players than they give up if they don’t have roster room to do so, even if they intend to waive their new acquisitions immediately. The Sixers still haven’t formally announced the Cunningham trade, though the Clippers did, confirming that they didn’t send any active players to Philadelphia to balance the deal, in spite of rumors surrounding Tony Wroten.