Free Agent Rumors: Bynum, Teague, Kirilenko
Free agents continue to reach deals with teams across the NBA in advance of Wednesday, when agreements can become official. Here's the latest on the moves that could be next:
- The Mavs were in contact with Andrew Bynum even before Dwight Howard turned them down, and Stein tweets that Dallas is indeed pursuing the oft-injured Bynum now that Howard is out of the picture. Still, the Mavs will make a detailed and careful evaluation of the big man's health before reaching an agreement, according to Stein.
- Jeff Teague's camp is becoming increasingly frustrated with the Hawks, who have yet to engage in meaningful negotiations on a new deal, reports Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter links). The point guard is a restricted free agent, so Atlanta controls his destiny.
- The Kings aren't considering Andrei Kirilenko, tweets Jason Jones of The Sacramento Bee.
- The Knicks remain in play for Elton Brand, as do other teams, but a decision could come this weekend, a source tells Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link).
- The Jazz and Grizzlies also made offers to Dorell Wright, who wound up agreeing to join the Blazers instead, tweets Chris Haynes of CSNNW.com. The Thunder also made an offer, as previously reported, Haynes notes.
- Decision makers within the Blazers front office have led The Oregonian's Joe Freeman to expect that the team won't re-sign Elliot Williams (Twitter link).
- Joe Dumars, fresh off his agreement to sign Josh Smith, has his sights on a perimeter sharpshooter for the Pistons, according to Sam Amico of Fox Sports Ohio (on Twitter). Keith Langlois of Pistons.com agrees, and hints that the team could hit the trade market as well (Twitter link).
Bird Rights For Millsap, Jack To Be Renounced
The Warriors and the Jazz have been at the center of a pair of major deals this afternoon, including agreeing to a trade that will send a handful of draft picks and about $24MM in salaries to Utah. However, as a result of that trade and Golden State's subsequent agreement with Andre Iguodala, two major free agents will almost certainly no longer re-sign with their respective teams.
According to TNT's David Aldridge (via Twitter), the Jazz will need to renounce their Bird rights to Paul Millsap in order to clear the necessary cap room to absorb all the incoming salary. That means that the Jazz could no longer offer Millsap more than the $2.65MM room exception to re-sign in Utah.
Meanwhile, the Warriors find themselves in a similar boat with Jarrett Jack. To create space for Iguodala's salary, Golden State will renounce its Bird rights to Jack, as Marcus Thompson of the Bay Area News Group tweets. Like Millsap, Jack now won't be eligible for more than the $2.65MM room exception if he hopes to re-sign with his former team.
Although it's still technically possible for both players to re-sign with their respective clubs, the odds are strongly in favor of both free agents finding new homes within the next few days or weeks.
Warriors Eyeing Iggy; Talking To Sixers, Cavs, Jazz
As Dwight Howard remains undecided on where he'll sign, the Warriors continue to explore potential salary-dumps, having engaged in talks on complicated deals with the Sixers, Cavaliers, and Jazz, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com named the Cavs and Jazz, along with the Hawks, as potential trade partners for Golden State earlier today, while a subsequent report suggested the Warriors were talking to Utah about Andrew Bogut. Various outlets have since downplayed any talks involving Bogut, though multiple Bay Area scribes believe the Warriors may just be trying to save face with their incumbent center (Twitter links).
As Berger reported earlier, the Warriors' attempts to dump Richard Jefferson's and Andris Biedrins' contracts aren't necessarily related to the team's pursuit of Howard. Berger noted that Andre Iguodala was another possible target for Golden State, and Wojnarowski backs that up in a tweet of his own.
According to Sam Amick of USA Today (via Twitter), Iguodala would like to join the Warriors and has already had "deep talks" about going to Golden State. However, Amick points out that the Nuggets have "strongly rebuffed" the idea of signing-and-trading Iguodala to the Warriors, so clearing the necessary cap space would be Golden State's only way to sign him. Simply moving Jefferson and Biedrins likely wouldn't create enough room for Iguodala, since the Warriors would still have about $50MM in guaranteed salary on their books even without those two contracts.
Warriors, Jazz Discussing Andrew Bogut
12:02pm: In a follow-up tweet, Stein suggests that perhaps the talks involving Bogut have cooled. According to Stein, the Warriors continue to aggressively explore trade options involving Jefferson and Biedrins, but not Bogut.
That suggests to me that the Warriors are trying to create cap flexibility for a subsequent move while still hanging on to Bogut in case they can't land Howard.
9:49am: The Warriors and Jazz have opened talks on a trade that would send Andrew Bogut to Utah, reports ESPN.com's Marc Stein (via Twitter). According to Stein (via Twitter), the Jazz have expressed the strongest interest in the 28-year-old, due in part to Al Jefferson's departure and Bogut's history at the University of Utah.
Ken Berger of CBSSports.com reported earlier today that the Jazz were one of the teams Golden State had engaged, along with the Hawks and Cavs, in an effort to shed the salaries of Bogut, Richard Jefferson, and Andris Biedrins. Berger's report didn't specify whether the Warriors were discussing all three players with all three teams, or particular players with particular teams, but it seems as if Utah, at least, is a potential destination for Bogut.
Of the three contracts the Warriors are shopping, Bogut's is the most expensive at $14MM, but he's also more productive than Jefferson ($11MM+) and Biedrins ($9MM). While Jefferson and Biedrins would likely need to be attached to multiple draft picks to find a taker, Bogut shouldn't be quite as tricky to move. If they were to renounce their current free agents, the Jazz could create more than $25MM in cap space, so there'd be plenty of room to take on Bogut's salary without sending out any players.
Bogut is coming off a pair of injury-plagued seasons, but was a solid contributor for Golden State in the 2013 postseason, averaging 7.2 PPG and 10.9 RPG, with a .582 FG%.
Atlantic Notes: Copeland, Knicks, Raps, Stevens
Let's round up the latest news, notes, and rumors out of the Atlantic Division….
- Chris Copeland's agent John Spencer isn't ruling out his client returning to the Knicks, but he expects to receive offers starting at higher than $1.75MM. As Marc Berman of the New York Post writes, after committing a portion of their mid-level to Pablo Prigioni, the Knicks only have about $1.75MM left on their MLE. Using that remaining money on a power forward like Elton Brand is more likely than a Copeland reunion, according to Berman.
- Assuming Copeland doesn't take less to remain in New York, the Pacers, Lakers, Jazz, and Nuggets are in play for him, according to Spencer.
- Agent Andy Miller tells Berman that his client, Sebastian Telfair, would "consider the Knicks very strongly." New York is eyeing another point guard and has also been in touch with reps for Earl Watson, Will Bynum, Aaron Brooks, and Devin Harris.
- The second year of the Raptors' agreement with Julyan Stone won't be fully guaranteed, says Doug Smith of the Toronto Star. Smith notes within the same piece that it remains extremely unlikely Toronto uses its amnesty clause next week.
- Celtics GM Danny Ainge had long targeted Brad Stevens as a potential replacement for Doc Rivers, as Baxter Holmes of the Boston Globe writes (subscription required). Ainge himself confirmed at this morning's press conference that Stevens was his first phone call after the Rivers transaction, tweets Sean Deveney of the Sporting News.
Warriors’ Efforts To Clear Cap Not Only Tied To D12
While there's been speculation that the Warriors would only attempt to unload big expiring contracts like Andrew Bogut, Richard Jefferson, and Andris Biedrins if Dwight Howard chooses Golden State, that's not necessarily the case, according to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. Berger reports that even if Howard commits to sign elsewhere, the Warriors are still interested in trying to clear cap space, perhaps to pursue another impact free agent such as Andre Iguodala.
According to Berger, the Warriors have offered Bogut, Jefferson, and Biedrins to the Hawks, Jazz, and Cavaliers, three of the only NBA teams with enough cap room to absorb one or more of those contracts without sending out salary in return.
Berger writes that Golden State would have to move two of those three players in order to clear enough space to sign Howard outright, though I believe all three would actually have to be dealt. Even if the Warriors were to move the two larger salaries (Bogut and Jefferson), the team would still have about $45MM left on its books, by my estimation. That would rule out a max offer for Howard, but would likely be enough room to squeeze in a competitive offer for a player like Iguodala.
While Bogut has a little value on his own, Jefferson and Biedrins, who are making $11MM+ and $9MM respectively, have significant negative trade value. I'd imagine that any team taking on either of those players would demand multiple draft picks, including at least one first-rounder.
Chris Copeland Undecided On Offer Sheets
Marc Berman of the New York Post (via Twitter) reports that free agent forward Chris Copeland has not decided on an offer sheet as of yet. Aside from the Pacers and Jazz, the Lakers remain very much in the picture, although Berman implies that L.A. has their focus on resolving the Dwight Howard situation first. Earlier today, we heard that Copeland had at least three offer sheets on the table, and while the Cavaliers seemed to be one of the three suitors, it appears that Utah may have been the third team Berman was alluding to.
The rumors swirling around Jose Calderon's possible interest in joining the Lakers could theoretically have an effect on whether or not Copeland would sign with the purple and gold, since Calderon would likely command the mini-MLE or a significant portion of it. Yesterday, we relayed the reported mutual interest between Copeland's camp and the Jazz, and that Copeland's agent expected more discussions with Utah. While the Pacers have a portion of their $5.15MM MLE to make a competitive offer, the Jazz have more than enough cap room to make a significant bid as well.
FA Latest: Jefferson, Nets, Copeland, Collison
Let's have a look at the latest offseason news and notes from this Wednesday evening:
- Al Jefferson has spent the past day and a half with the Bobcats, as we know, but apparently the former Jazz center wants to wait until Dwight Howard signs before making any commitments, reports ESPN's Chris Broussard (via Twitter). According to Broussard, this is because if the Mavericks lose out on Howard, they could come calling on Jefferson. Jefferson is looking for a four-year deal, starting at $15MM per season, per Broussard (via Twitter).
- Considering the make up of the Nets roster, head coach Jason Kidd needs to hit the ground running, writes Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. Assistant coach Lawrence Frank ran much of Kidd's first practice on Wednesday while Kidd mainly observed, according to Bondy. Ian O'Connor of ESPN New York reports that the Nets deal with Frank is for four year and is worth more than one million dollars a year, making him the league's highest paid assistant.
- We rounded up the latest on Chris Copeland a bit earlier, but now Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York is reporting, via Twitter, that the Cavaliers are "in play" on Copeland with a potential multiyear offer and the Pacers are exploring roster options to create room for the 6-foot-8 forward. Sources tell Marc Berman of the New York Post that Copeland has three offers to choose from, which will make it next to impossible for the Knicks to retain him (via Twitter). None of the three are from the Jazz, tweets Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune.
- Mavericks free agent Darren Collison, in the process of sorting through his options, is intrigued by four potential destinations and hasn't ruled out a return to Dallas, writes RealGM's Shams Charania.
Latest On Chris Copeland
As the market continues to develop for many of this year's restricted free agents, Chris Copeland is drawing interest from a number of teams looking to pry him away from the Knicks. Last night, we heard that the Pacers had extended an offer to Copeland, but the forward continues to meet with and talk to other potential suitors.
Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune tweets that there's still mutual interest between Copeland and the Jazz. Copeland's agent expects further discussions with Utah, though the team hasn't made an offer yet, according to Jody Genessy of the Deseret News (via Twitter). The 29-year-old remains interested in the Knicks, as Genessy tweets, though with New York hoping to use its mini mid-level exception on multiple players (perhaps Copeland and a point guard), the club's ability to match rival offers will be limited.
A league source told Jared Zwerling of ESPN.com (Twitter link) yesterday that the Lakers have made an exploratory offer to Copeland, and a report earlier this week suggested that the Pelicans and Bucks could also be preparing offers for the restricted free agent. However, the Pelicans are stuck in a bit of a holding pattern as they wait to hear back from Tyreke Evans on their offer sheet, and the Bucks have been linked to so many players that it's not clear if Copeland is a top priority or a secondary target.
While it appears Copeland has plenty of possible destinations, the pendulum isn't swinging in any direction yet, according to Zwerling, who says it's still too early in the process (via Twitter).
Northwest Rumors: Wolves, Jazz, Brewer, Aldridge
With the exception of the defending division champs from Oklahoma City, we've got a little something this morning on every Northwest team, so let's dive in and round up the latest….
- J.J. Redick and Chase Budinger have received four-year contract offers from the Timberwolves, as we heard last night. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter) that Redick is the priority for Minnesota, but the team would like to sign one of those two players.
- The Jazz met with Paul Millsap late on Sunday night when free agency opened, according to Bill Oram of the Salt Lake Tribune. While Utah didn't make Millsap an offer, the team expressed a "high interest" in re-signing the big man, who figures to be a Plan B for some of the clubs that fail to land Dwight Howard.
- Marc Stein of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that Corey Brewer is garnering interest from the Pelicans, Hawks, and Nuggets. Brewer is also set to meet with the Rockets, who believe that he would be a strong complementary piece for their top target (Howard).
- Ben Golliver of Blazer's Edge does an excellent job of rounding up all the LaMarcus Aldridge trade rumors to date, including the latest from Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune.