James Johnson To Work Out For Three Teams
A free agent for the first time, James Johnson has yet to land a deal with an NBA team, but will look to make an impression in upcoming workouts with three clubs, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. Charania reports that Johnson will work out for the Spurs, Jazz, and Hawks in hopes of receiving a contract offer.
Johnson, 26, has spent time with the Bulls, Raptors, and Kings since making his NBA debut in 2009, averaging 6.3 PPG, 3.2 RPG, and a 12.4 PER in 219 career contests. Johnson's trade history is indicative of his slipping stock; a year and a half after being selected 16th overall by Chicago, the 6'9" forward was sent to Toronto for a first-round pick that landed at No. 28, then was eventually flipped to Sacramento for a 2014 second-rounder.
The Spurs, Jazz, and Hawks all currently have between 12 and 14 guaranteed contracts on their books for 2013/14, so there'd be room for Johnson to earn a roster spot on any of the three clubs, if he were to sign with one of them.
Odds & Ends: Sanders, Nets, Jazz, McCarty
Larry Sanders has a brand new deal with the Bucks that will make him the face of the franchise after the departures of Monta Ellis and Brandon Jennings. However, he'll have to get accustomed to an entirely new system in Milwaukee this season, writes Yannis Koutroupis of HoopsWorld. Many are expecting a drop off from last season based off what the Bucks lost, but if Sanders can take another step forward, they could still be in the mix for a playoff spot. Here's more from around the Association..
- The Nets announced that they have finalized their coaching staff by hiring assistants John Welch, Joe Prunty, and Charles Klask. That brings the total staff count underneath coaching neophyte Jason Kidd to six.
- The Nets also announced that Doug Overton has been appointed as the head coach of their D-League affiliate, the Springfield Armor. Overton enjoyed a lengthy playing career that included two stints with the Nets.
- The Jazz announced that Justin Zanik will serve as an assistant GM. Utah GM Dennis Lindsey says that he's excited about being able to draw on the insight of a former agent, tweets Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Walter McCarty confirmed to Jeff Goodman of ESPNBoston.com (on Twitter) that he'll be joining the Celtics staff as an assitant coach under Brad Stevens.
Extension Talks Ongoing For Favors, Hayward
The Jazz are one of six NBA teams with multiple players eligible for rookie-scale extensions this offseason, and Utah has begun discussing potential deals for both Derrick Favors and Gordon Hayward, according to GM Dennis Lindsey. Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets that Lindsey appeared on 1280 AM in Utah today and confirmed that extension talks for both players are ongoing.
According to Oram (via Twitter), Lindsey suggested that Utah's preference would be to extend Favors and Hayward this offseason, but the team is also comfortable with letting one or both guys play out the 2013/14 season. In that scenario, the market would dictate their value next summer, and the Jazz would still have the opportunity to match any rival offers. Given how little long-term money the club has on its books, matching an offer sheet wouldn't be an issue.
When Chuck Myron of Hoops Rumors took an early look at this year's extension candidates back in March, he predicted that Favors would receive a new long-term deal while Hayward would eventually hit restricted free agency. Because both players are entering the last year of their rookie-scale contracts, they'll have until October 31st to work something out with the Jazz.
Oram adds in a series of tweets that Lindsey also addressed a few other Utah-related topics during his radio appearance. The GM hinted that the Jazz may not end up using all the future draft picks they've acquired, and indicated that there should be an announcement about Justin Zanik's role in the front office coming soon. Lindsey also added that he hopes Raul Neto will be a long-time member of the Jazz — when I examined 2013's remaining unsigned draft picks yesterday, I noted that Neto is one of the second-rounders whose future is still up in the air.
Western Notes: Pekovic, Rockets, Zanik, Aldrich
One of the biggest names on this summer's free agent market finally came off the board today when Nikola Pekovic reached a five-year, $60MM agreement with the Timberwolves. The deal will make Pekovic the highest-paid restricted free agent of the offseason, by both overall value and annual salary. He also landed the third-highest overall guarantee, behind only Chris Paul and Dwight Howard. Here's more on Pekovic and other items from around the Western Conference:
- The new deal for Pekovic won't affect the Timberwolves' ability to keep Ricky Rubio or Kevin Love long-term, president Flip Saunders told reporters today, adding that the team views those three players as the franchise's cornerstones (Twitter links via T-Wolves PR). Saunders also confirmed that Pek's contract doesn't include any team or player options, tweets Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune.
- About 15 months before they ultimately landed Howard, the Rockets reached a tentative agreement to acquire the All-Star center from the Magic at 2012's trade deadline, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Orlando planned to move D12 at the deadline if he didn't waive his early termination option, and had offers from the Rockets and Nets — Magic officials preferred Houston's offer, says Berger.
- Agent Justin Zanik, who has worked with Andy Miller at ASM Sports in recent years, is set to join the Jazz front office as the team's assistant GM, reports Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Jody Genessy of the Deseret News has a few more details on the hiring of Zanik, who represented NBA players such as Omer Asik, Timofey Mozgov, and Sergey Karasev.
- Cole Aldrich worked out for Sacramento on Monday, according to Jonathan Santiago and James Ham of Cowbell Kingdom. The Kings have an open roster spot, though it's interesting that they'd need to work out Aldrich, considering they got an extended look at the big man last year after acquiring him at the trade deadline.
Bobcats Rumors: Jefferson, Roster, Trades
Zach Lowe's latest column for Grantland.com focuses on the Bobcats, and the efforts the team is making to move toward playoff contention. As Lowe notes, it's hard to see how the current players and assets held by the Bobcats point to a future as a 55-win team, but that's not necessarily every club's number one goal. For Charlotte, the short-term goal is returning to respectability, and the team feels like signing Al Jefferson this offseason is a step in the right direction. Here are a few of the most interesting tidbits from Lowe's piece:
- The Bobcats considered sitting on some of their cap room, like the Sixers have done, or using it to absorb salaries and gain assets, like the Jazz did, but ultimately decided to spend it on Jefferson. "Of course, we had discussions about those options," said team president Rod Higgins. "We could have just sat on that money. But we've had a lot of losses over the last two years. We've gotten to the point now where we just want to compete. We have to send that message to our fans."
- Jefferson didn't meet with any other teams in free agency besides the Bobcats and Jazz. Utah told Jefferson on July 1st that they weren't interested in re-signing him, which came as no surprise. "I told my teammates all season, 'Utah would be a fool to bring me back, with Enes [Kanter] and Derrick [Favors]," Jefferson said.
- The Jazz did offer to sign-and-trade Jefferson to a team that didn't have room to sign him outright, but the big man was quickly sold on the Bobcats' pitch.
- Lowe suggests that moving Kemba Walker in a Jrue Holiday-esque deal for a 2014 first-rounder could benefit the Bobcats, but the team doesn't appear to be seriously mulling that kind of move. Still, Higgins isn't ruling anything out, telling Lowe, "If there are opportunities to make this team better via trade, we will do that."
- Higgins also denied that the Bobcats ever seriously discussed trading 2012's No. 2 pick (which became Michael Kidd-Gilchrist) in a deal for James Harden.
- Lowe points out that, since none of the Bobcats' young players like Walker, Kidd-Gilchrist, Gerald Henderson, Cody Zeller, and Bismack Biyombo project as franchise guys, the team should have the flexibility to keep most or all of them long-term. That could put the club on a path similar to the Nuggets, who put together a collection of solid players worth between $6-11MM since moving Carmelo Anthony.
- According to Lowe, executives around the league still aren't sure who makes the final calls on basketball decisions in Charlotte, with owner Michael Jordan, GM Rich Cho, and Higgins all involved in the process.
Odds & Ends: Union, Lucas, Draft, Brown
With the offseason winding down, Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld identified who the real contenders will be in 2013/14. The back-to-back champion Heat top the list with some of the other usual suspects, including the Spurs and Thunder. The Bulls should be vaulted back into contention with the long-awaited return of Derrick Rose. The Clippers are a bona fide contender after re-signing Chris Paul, landing Doc Rivers as coach, and adding J.J. Redick. The Nets, who now boast the most expensive roster in the NBA by far, hope to be among the league's elite with first-time coach Jason Kidd at the helm. And of course, the Rockets will be one of the most intriguing teams to keep an eye on after luring Dwight Howard away from L.A. Here's more from around the Association..
- NBPA executive committee member Jerry Stackhouse told Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that LeBron James' comments about the union felt like a "kick in the stomach". "I don't think he's had any dialogue with anybody since the All-Star break, but it is what it is," Stackhouse said. "To make that statement about where we are as a union right now, he was misinformed."
- Point guard John Lucas III was a safe choice for the Jazz, in the sense that he won't threaten Trey Burke or expect to be the main one-guard for the long-term. However, Utah believes they have more than a capable stop-gap and more than a positive locker room influence in the veteran, writes Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Chad Ford of ESPN.com (Insider sub. req'd) runs down the 2014 NBA Draft and notes that its remarkable depth could make it the best ever. Ford's latest big board has Andrew Wiggins at the top, followed by Kentucky's Julius Randle, Australian Dante Exum, Duke's Jabari Parker, and Oklahoma State's Marcus Smart.
- Sean Deveney of the Sporting News gives his immediate and long-term outlook for the league's 13 new coaches. The list starts with the latest hire, 76ers coach Brett Brown.
- Jordan Hill's summer assignment is to become the stretch four that the Lakers need, writes Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com. Hill missed 53 games last year, mostly because of back and hip trouble.
Northwest Notes: Nuggets, T’Wolves, Brown, Curry
Flip Saunders is the leading man in the Timberwolves' front office, but he's searching for two executives to help assist him in day-to-day operations. This morning, we learned that Wizards vice president of player personnel Milt Newton sat down with the T'Wolves to formally interview for the GM position while they could also promote former Raptors GM Rob Babcock from within. Here's the latest out of the Northwest Division..
- The Northwest Division is the best example this offseason of the cyclical nature of the league, writes Royce Young of CBSSports.com. The Nuggets have slipped after losing their GM and failing to re-sign their top offseason target in Andre Iguodala. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves could take the divisional crown after making a few shrewd moves and getting Kevin Love back.
- Bobby Brown has until August 15th to exercise his opt out clause with China's DongGuan Leopards and AJ Mitnick of Sheridan Hoops sees the Jazz as a good fit for the lighting quick point guard. Brown averaged 18.3 PPG in Euroleague last year and improved greatly as a true one-guard.
- Seth Curry says that Timberwolves are among the teams that have extended a training camp invitation to him, writes Mark Berman of The Roanoke Times. The Warriors, Spurs, and Bobcats have also invited the undrafted Duke guard to camp.
- Earlier today, we looked at the latest on the Thunder.
Several Teams In Mix For Anthony Tolliver
FRIDAY, 2:58pm: Rather than narrowing down his list of suitors, Tolliver seems to be heading in the other direction. The Magic, Spurs, and Knicks are also interested in him, according to Tomasson (via Twitter). Still, Tolliver expects to make a decision next week.
THURSDAY, 3:16pm: The Lakers have entered the mix for Tolliver, writes Chris Tomasson of FOX Sports Florida (via Sulia). According to Tolliver, talks with the Lakers are still preliminary, but he's considering them alongside the Bobcats, Bulls, and Jazz. Tolliver added that he visited Charlotte on Monday and the team made him a minimum-salary contract offer.
WEDNESDAY, 1:08pm: Anthony Tolliver has narrowed his free agent decision down to three teams, and is expected to finalize a deal this weekend, according to Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype. Sierra reports that Tolliver will likely sign with either the Bobcats, Bulls, or Jazz.
Tolliver, 28, spent the 2012/13 season with the Hawks, averaging 4.1 PPG and 2.5 RPG in 62 contests (15.5 MPG). The last report we heard on Tolliver came nearly a month ago, and suggested that the 6'8" forward was in talks with five teams, including Atlanta.
Utah still has a little cap space left, along with its room exception, but Charlotte and Chicago appear to be capped out. As such, it looks like Tolliver will sign another minimum-salary deal, unless the Jazz outbid the other two finalists.
Contract Details: Jennings, Grizzlies, Henderson
Details are often scarce when free agents agree to sign with NBA teams, leaving reporters to gather many of the contract specifics later. That's what HoopsWorld's Eric Pincus has done throughout the summer, and last night he passed along information on a handful of players, as we detail below. All links go to HoopsWorld team salary pages.
- Brandon Jennings will make precisely $24MM in the sign-and-trade deal that sent him to the Pistons, with a starting salary of $7,655,503.
- The Grizzlies gave Mike Miller a one-year deal for the veteran's minimum, while their second-round pick, Jamaal Franklin, is making slightly more than the rookie minimum this season on his three-year contract. Pincus also has the figures for Jon Leuer's three-year deal.
- Gerald Henderson will make $6MM in each season of his three-year, $18MM deal with the Bobcats.
- Timofey Mozgov's starting salary on his new three-year deal is $4.4MM, with raises in subsequent seasons.
- Bucks second-round pick Nate Wolters, the 38th overall selection, gets a little more than the minimum salary as part of his three-year deal. The first two seasons are fully guaranteed.
- The Jazz gave summer league sensation Ian Clark a two-year, partially guaranteed deal for the minimum salary.
DeMarre Carroll Signs With Hawks
AUGUST 3RD: The Hawks confirmed the move via press release.
JULY 5TH: DeMarre Carroll will sign with the Hawks, agent Mark Bartelstein tells Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports, who adds that it’s a two-year, $5MM deal for the second Utah forward to leave for Atlanta tonight (Twitter links). Paul Millsap is also headed to the Hawks.
Carroll figures to add depth to an Atlanta front line that includes Millsap and Al Horford. He averaged career highs in points (6.0) and rebounds (2.8) for the Jazz this past season. This will be the fourth contract already for the 27th pick in the 2009 draft who was waived by both the Rockets and the Nuggets before he signed a minimum-salary deal with Utah.
Bartelstein had frequent conversations with the Jazz about a return to Utah for Carroll, but today’s trade with Golden State that brought aboard Richard Jefferson, among others, helped push Carroll out the door, according to Bill Oram of The Salt Lake Tribune (Twitter links).