Eastern Notes: J.R. Smith, Wizards, Contracts
J.R. Smith‘s new two-year contract with the Cavaliers has an unusual structure that includes partial guarantees for both this season and next, sources tell Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com (Twitter links). This year’s salary, worth $5MM, is guaranteed for only $2MM, and next year’s salary, a player option, has a $2.15MM partial guarantee on the full $5.4MM value, reports Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders (All four Twitter links). However, this season’s salary becomes fully guaranteed if the team keeps him through Monday, Pincus adds. That’s almost certain to happen, but the reason that clause is in the contract is so that his 2016/17 salary can become fully guaranteed if he sticks on the roster through the same date next year, in a structure similar to the deal that Kostas Papanikolaou signed with the Rockets last year, Pincus explains. The Cavs formally announced Smith’s signing Wednesday, nearly two weeks after Smith revealed that he would be rejoining the team.
See more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Coach Randy Wittman likes the grit that Wizards camp signee Toure’ Murry has shown in the past, but the shooting guard will have to make quite a convincing case for the Wizards to keep him over one of the 15 players on their roster with a fully guaranteed contract, writes J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic. Jaleel Roberts, the other Wizard with a non-guaranteed deal, won his training camp roster spot more so by his performance at Tim Grgurich’s private camp than through his play with the Wizards summer league squad, Michael hears. Still, Roberts is more likely to make the regular season roster in 2016/17, when the team will ostensibly have greater flexibility, than he is this year, according to Michael.
- Kelly Dwyer, Ben Rohrbach and Eric Freeman of Yahoo! Sports weighed in on which 2015 NBA draftee ended up in the best situation to succeed next season. Dwyer chose the Knicks‘ Kristaps Porzingis, while Rohrbach tabbed Justise Winslow of the Heat, and Freeman’s pick was the Nuggets’ Emmanuel Mudiay.
- The Cavs had possessed one of the most tradeable contracts in the league in Brendan Haywood‘s non-guaranteed pact, which they had dealt to the Blazers at the end of July. Pincus, in a separate post, ran down some of the most desirable trade chip contracts around the NBA , including Amir Johnson and Jonas Jerebko of the Celtics, the Wizards‘ Kris Humphries and Martell Webster, as well as Ersan Ilyasova‘s deal with the Pistons.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Doc Rivers On Pierce, Allen, Celtics, Magic
Doc Rivers believes Paul Pierce‘s choice in free agency came down to the Clippers and the Celtics, as the Clippers coach/executive said Wednesday and as Jay King of MassLive.com relays. That would mean the Wizards, with whom Pierce spent last season, finished no better than third.
“I think he wanted to go one of two places. He wanted to come back [to Boston] or he wanted to finish his career at home where he grew up, and I think it’s really cool for me that I can be a part of that,” Rivers said.
Those comments came while Rivers was in Boston for a charity function, so location perhaps played a role. Regardless, Rivers had plenty more to say about Pierce, the Clippers, the Celtics, and other topics, as we’ll round up here:
- Pierce, who signed with the Clippers for the full value of the taxpayer’s mid-level exception, was the team’s priciest free agent addition, but Rivers said he’ll use him judiciously, notes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com. Rivers isn’t guaranteeing a starting spot for the 17-year veteran who turns 38 next month. “Paul will be great. Paul, I don’t want to overuse him. I know that,” Rivers said. “So, I don’t even know how we are going to use him yet. I want to play him at [power forward] a lot. What I want him to be is healthy in the playoffs. So however we can figure that out, that’s what I’m going to try to do.”
- Rivers said he and Ray Allen recently played golf, but the Clippers executive added that he didn’t try to convince Allen to sign with the team, tweets Scott Souza of the MetroWest Daily News. The Clips were one of several teams that reportedly attempted to lure Allen this past season, when the shooting guard instead lingered in free agency.
- Rivers said the collective trust the Celtics players had in coach Brad Stevens was readily apparent after last season’s flurry of trades, Souza also observed (Twitter link). An ESPN panel recently tabbed Stevens as Boston’s No. 1 reason for optimism about the C’s.
- The Magic, another of Rivers’ former teams, have a shot to make the playoffs this year, Rivers said earlier Wednesday in an appearance on Mike Bianchi’s Open Mike radio show on 740 The Game in Orlando, as Bianchi transcribes in the Orlando Sentinel. Rivers praised new coach Scott Skiles. “I think he’s a wonderful coach,” Rivers said. “I think he was a great choice for the franchise. I think people will be surprised with how well they do this year.”
Eastern Notes: Cherry, Pistons, Wittman
Unrestricted free agent Will Cherry has officially signed with the German club Alba Berlin, the team announced (translation by Emiliano Carchia of Sportando). International journalist David Pick first reported the team’s interest and Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports was the first to relay that a signing was imminent. Cherry played in Lithuania last season after he was waived by the Cavaliers. The point guard saw action in eight games while with Cleveland and averaged 1.9 points, 1.0 assist and 0.8 steals in 8.6 minutes per contest.
Here’s more from the Eastern Conference:
- Stan Van Gundy wanted to hire a shooting coach for his first season with the Pistons, but he didn’t get around to it until this summer, when he brought on Dave Hopla, who’s wasted no time getting to work, writes Keith Langlois of Pistons.com. Hopla is working with extension candidate Andre Drummond and others and using analytics to enhance their strokes, as Langlois chronicles.
- Justise Winslow, who was selected No. 10 overall by the Heat in this year’s draft, blew away team executives during the predraft interview process, Zach Lowe of Grantland relays. The swingman was projected by a number of mock drafts to be a potential top five selection, but he surprisingly fell to Miami with the final pick in the top 10 this past June.
- The Wizards will have to make a tough decision regarding whether or not coach Randy Wittman is the right man to continue leading the franchise on the court, J. Michael of CSNMid-Atlantic writes. Wittman, who owns a 137-158 record overall with Washington, is entering the second season of his three-year pact, and his contract is only partially guaranteed for the 2016/17 campaign, Michael notes.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Southeast Notes: Wizards, Harris, Heat
Lang Greene of Basketball Insiders wonders if this is the year that the Wizards reach the Eastern Conference finals and take their seat among the conference elites. Greene believes Otto Porter’s development will be crucial for the success of the team this season. Washington failed to sign Paul Pierce, who opted to sign a three year deal worth approximately $10MM with the Clippers, leaving Porter to take on a bigger role with the team. New acquisition Jared Dudley should help to ease the burden, but the 30-year-old is recovering from offseason back surgery and is expected to miss nearly a month of the regular season. The Wizards also added Alan Anderson and Gary Neal via free agency and the duo should help boost the team’s bench unit.
Here’s more from the Southeast Division:
- The Magic’s new four-year, $64MM deal with Tobias Harris makes him the team’s highest-paid player, and the team will call upon him to score in the clutch, putting him under the microscope like never before, writes Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel. Harris, who cares about the way others perceive him, will have to deal with plenty of criticism based on how he performs, Schmitz adds.
- The Heat shouldn’t need as much from Dwyane Wade on the offensive end as they have in past seasons because of the team’s offseason moves, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sentinel writes in his weekly mailbag. Miami re-signed starting point guard Goran Dragic to a five-year deal worth $85MM. The team also added Gerald Green and Amar’e Stoudemire in free agency.
Eddie Scarito contributed to this post.
Wizards, Kings, Clippers Interested In Ryan Hollins
2:55pm: The Wizards and Kings have also had conversations with the Hollins camp, Turner clarifies, citing a source (Twitter link).
2:41pm: The Clippers and representatives for Hollins spoke today, though a deal isn’t happening, Turner tweets. Presumably, Turner means that a deal isn’t happening at the moment, rather than that a deal won’t happen at all.
10:36am: The Kings and Clippers maintain interest in signing nine-year veteran Ryan Hollins, and the Wizards are also eyeing him, a source told Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Spears reported Sacramento’s interest in re-signing the Todd Ramasar client in early July, around the time Broderick Turner of the Los Angeles Times heard that the Clippers had conversations about reuniting with Hollins, who previously spent two seasons with the team.
The Clips didn’t make an offer at that point, Turner said then, and it’s unclear if any team has put a deal on the table for Hollins yet. He’s also reportedly received interest from the Mavericks and Pelicans along the way, though neither team has been connected to him for more than a month.
Hollins, who turns 31 in October, would appear to have an easier path to a regular season roster spot with the Kings or Clippers than he would with the Wizards, barring trade activity. Sacramento and L.A. have 14 full guarantees apiece while Washington has 15 and apparently isn’t offering partially guaranteed money to its camp invitees. Still, he faces competition, as the Kings were reportedly eyeing Hedo Turkoglu late last month while reports continue to show the Clippers have interest in re-signing Glen Davis.
The Kings signed him to a one-year, minimum-salary contract in 2014, and that would seem to be the sort of deal he’d command this time around, too. He averaged 3.0 points and 2.2 rebounds in 9.6 minutes per game this past season.
Where do you think Hollins ends up? Leave a comment to tell us.
Suns Sign Deonte Burton
The Suns have signed unrestricted free agent Deonte Burton, Eric Pincus of Basketball Insiders reports (Twitter link). It is a non-guaranteed training camp pact, adds Pincus, and most likely for the league minimum, though that is merely my speculation. The agreement will also include limited injury protection, Pincus adds, so it is likely an Exhibit 9 contract. The addition of Burton will give Phoenix a roster count of 18 players, including 13 with fully guaranteed deals.
Burton, 24, went undrafted out of Nevada in 2014 after averaging 20.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 4.4 assists against 2.0 turnovers in 38.6 MPG as a Senior. His career NCAA numbers were 16.2 PPG, 2.9 RPG, and 4.0 APG to accompany a shooting line of .439/.337/.751.
The guard appeared in the 2014 summer league with the Wizards before catching on with the Kings for training camp. Burton was cut by Sacramento last October and later signed with Germany’s Ratiopharm Ulm for the remainder of the 2014/15 season. His numbers in 31 appearances for Ratiopharm were an underwhelming 2.6 PPG, 0.6 RPG, and 0.5 APG in 10.1 minutes per contest. Burton played in the 2015 NBA Salt Lake City Summer League for the Sixers’ squad.
Eastern Notes: Wizards, Celtics, Bulls
The Wizards expect Tomas Satoransky, a shooting guard whom Washington drafted 32nd overall in 2012, to finally join them after he completes the final year of his contract with Barcelona this season, J. Michael of CSN Mid-Atlantic writes. As Michael adds, for the past few years, it’s been questionable as to if Satoransky will ever join the team. Satoransky has told the Wizards that he intends to be in Washington for the 2016/17 season, Michael reports, citing a source. Last summer, as Michael points out, Satoransky wanted the team to sign him before he competed in the summer league, and he’s also pushed for a larger amount than the team was willing to give. Ultimately, the Wizards stood firm and used the mid-level to sign Paul Pierce.
Here’s more from around the Eastern Conference:
- Jae Crowder, whom the Celtics re-signed to a five-year, $35MM deal, is participating in full workouts, Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe writes. Crowder suffered an ankle sprain during the first round of the playoffs. Celtics coach Brad Stevens has yet to project a starting lineup, Crowder is expected to compete with Evan Turner at small forward, Washburn adds.
- In an interview with Jorge Sierra of HoopsHype, Nikola Mirotic had mostly positive things to say about his season under former Bulls head coach Tom Thibodeau, but he also added that he’s looking forward to playing under Fred Hoiberg next year in a system that allows for more individual freedom from the players. “We had good and bad times, but we were always together,” Mirotic said. “When things were going badly, we never thought it was the coach’s fault or were thinking this could be his final year with the team. We have been very focused on the task ahead. We knew we had a good shot at the Finals. I can only say positive things about Thibodeau. He has helped me improve. He’s a difficult coach that perhaps doesn’t like to play the young guys much, but you learn from him and he makes you work hard. He got you ready for the time when that opportunity could come.”
Spurs Remain Interested In Rasual Butler
The Spurs continue to show interest in signing unrestricted free agent forward Rasual Butler, Michael Scotto of Sheridan Hoops reports (via Twitter). San Antonio’s interest in the veteran was first noted by Jason Quick of The Oregonian back in early July. Butler has also reportedly garnered attention this Summer from the Warriors and the Trail Blazers, and Portland was even said to have made a contract offer to the 36-year-old, though Butler was in no hurry to sign at the time.
San Antonio has in excess of $85MM in guaranteed salary already committed for the 2015/16 campaign, which includes 13 players inked to guaranteed contracts, as our roster count for the team illustrates. The Spurs, who are over both the salary cap and luxury tax line, can offer Butler no more than the veteran’s minimum salary. Whether or not that sum would be enough to entice Butler to play in Texas remains to be seen, but certainly the lure of joining a solid organization like the Spurs should hold some level of appeal. San Antonio already has starter Kawhi Leonard to man the three spot, as well as Kyle Anderson and Reggie Williams on the depth chart as reserves.
Butler, a 13-year NBA veteran, averaged 7.7 points and 2.6 rebounds in 75 appearances with the Wizards last season. His career numbers are 7.8 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists to go along with a slash line of .402/.363/.749.
Wizards Notes: Temple, Oubre, Camp Deals
The summer has been relatively quiet for the Wizards, with the trade for Jared Dudley and the Alan Anderson signing perhaps the team’s most significant moves. Washington is hoping it’s a different story a year from now, with native son Kevin Durant poised to hit free agency. While we wait to see how that storyline develops, see the latest from the nation’s capital:
- Jazz coach Quin Snyder, and not the Utah front office, is the party that expressed interest in Wizards guard Garrett Temple, according to a source who spoke with J. Michael of CSNMidAtlantic (Twitter link). The Wizards don’t appear eager to trade Temple, and it seems unlikely he’ll be changing teams, Michael tweets.
- Kelly Oubre intrigued the Hornets and the Heat, who had this year’s ninth and 10th picks, respectively, and the Celtics and Rockets tried to move up to draft him, reports Sean Deveney of The Sporting News. Ulimately, the Wizards came up with the package the Hawks accepted for the No. 15 overall pick, allowing Washington to come away with the small forward from Kansas. Deveney chronicles the struggle Oubre’s family faced in the wake of Hurricane Katrina, which forced them from their home in New Orleans 10 years ago.
- The Wizards aren’t offering partial guarantees with their training camp invitations, Michael writes in a separate piece, and that was a factor in the decision undrafted Maryland shooting guard Dez Wells made to turn down an offer from the Wizards for a deal with the Thunder instead, Michael adds.
And-Ones: Ross, Bucks, Max Salaries
The Raptors, who on Thursday signed Jonas Valanciunas to a four-year, $64MM extension, have had talks with representatives for Terrence Ross about an extension of his own, GM Masai Ujiri said, according to Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun (Twitter link). Wolstat reported last month that the team would seek extensions for both, though it’s clear that Valanciunas was the first priority. Still, the Raptors and the Aaron Mintz client have plenty of time in advance of the deadline, which would be November 2nd this year instead of the traditional October 31st, since Halloween falls on a Saturday. See more from around the NBA:
- The Bucks see a half-dozen of their players as long-term building blocks, and while that’s a broader view of a nucleus than many teams take, it’s one that can give all six the feeling that the team values them, as Frank Madden of SB Nation’s Brew Hoop examines. “We’re trying to build around some kind of consistency with the nucleus of Michael Carter-Williams, Khris Middleton, Jabari Parker, Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greg Monroe and John Henson,” GM John Hammond said on The Baseline with Warren Shaw and Cal Lee (audio link), as Madden transcribes. “Those six guys are the young core that we look and say that’s kind of the future of this organization, and that’s not discounting anyone else. Other players have to step [up] and become a part of that group with us. But those guys are the group we hope we can build some kind of continuity with.”
- John Wall pointed earlier this summer to Reggie Jackson‘s new five-year, $80MM contract with the Pistons as proof that the Wizards didn’t pay too much when they inked Wall to a deal for a similar amount in 2013, and Wall said recently to Ken Berger of CBSSports.com that some signings are out of line. “But I know when I got my $80MM, they said I didn’t deserve it. Now guys are getting it and they’re not saying anything about it,” Wall said in part. “I’m never knocking those guys because they’re doing what they’re supposed to do. You’re supposed to get that money and take care of your family and get better. I just [criticized max deals] because they made a big deal about me getting $80MM, and now people are getting $80MM, $95MM and they don’t deserve it.”
- Blake Griffin was the only one of the five stars Berger spoke to for his piece who lent much support to the idea of shortening the regular season. “Money is an object, though,” said Griffin’s teammate Chris Paul, who serves as president of the players association. “When we were kids playing AAU, we’d play five games in a day and wouldn’t think twice about it. I don’t know what the right number is. We’ve been playing 82 for a while though, huh? As far as I can remember. That’d be tough [to change].”