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Free Agent Notes: Wiz, Byars, Powell

September 18th, 2013 at 6:31pm CST by Alex Lee

Despite news that Emeka Okafor is out indefinitely with a herniated disc and Chris Singleton will undergo surgery today, the Wizards cannot guarantee money to any free agents to replace them (without letting go of someone else on a guaranteed contract by opening night), tweets NBA.com's David Aldridge.  Washington already has 15 guaranteed deals on their roster, including Okafor and Singleton, but as Aldridge points out (via Twitter), a trade is always possible.  CSN Washington's J. Michael confirms Aldridge's report, via Twitter, adding that the Wizards are likely to bring two or three other players to camp in addition to the 15. 

Let's take a look at some other free agent notes from around the league:

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Eastern Notes: Singleton, Okafor, Bulls, Knicks

September 18th, 2013 at 1:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Chris Singleton will undergo foot surgery today and will be sidelined for the next six to eight weeks, the Wizards announced today in a press release. Not only does the injury, which occurred in a voluntary workout, put Singleton's status for opening night in jeopardy, but it could have an impact on his future in Washington.

The Wizards have until October 31st to decide whether or not to exercise Singleton's $2.49MM option for the 2014/15 season. Now that the club won't get to watch him in camp and in the preseason, the decision figures to be made primarily based on his NBA production to date, which has been underwhelming — he has averaged 4.4 PPG and an 8.1 PER in his first two seasons.

As we wish Singleton a speedy recovery, let's round up a few more items from around the Eastern Conference….

  • Singleton's teammate, Emeka Okafor, also looks like he'll miss the start of the season. The Wizards announced today that Okafor, who is entering a contract year, will be out indefinitely as he rehabs from a herniated disc. Okafor tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports that he's not considering retirement and plans to return this season (Twitter link).
  • While Tom Thibodeau has downplayed any sort of discord between him and the Bulls' front office, a source tells Joe Cowley of the Chicago Sun-Times that the head coach would be upset if the team traded Luol Deng or let him walk in free agency. "Ask Tom how important he thinks Luol is," the source said. "How happy do you think he would be with that decision?"
  • In his latest Heat mailbag, Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel shares his thoughts on Dwyane Wade vs. Kyrie Irving, Joel Anthony's contract, and Steve Kerr's 2013/14 predictions.
  • Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com explores the issue of how the Knicks will complete their roster, asking readers if the team should add a big man, a forward, or a guard.
  • Begley adds (via Twitter) that former prep star Jonathan Hargett worked out at the Knicks facility, though it was in an informal capacity and the team isn't currently planning to sign him.
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Southeast Rumors: Wizards, Magic, Heat

September 16th, 2013 at 1:46pm CST by Chuck Myron

The way the Magic, Hawks and Bobcats stand with training camp approaching figures to make for some intrigue in the weeks ahead, as I examined this weekend. Those three teams have fewer than 13 guaranteed contracts, so there are regular season jobs up for grabs. The same might not be true for the Heat and the Wizards, though Michael Beasley's presence could make it interesting for Miami, and there are other developments for Washington's team, as we detail:

  • Wizards president Ernie Grunfeld remains in charge, but D.C.'s front office is getting a makeover, the team announced on its website. Tommy Sheppard gets a promotion and will presumably serve as Grunfeld's right-hand man. The Wizards have brought in other officials from the Raptors, Thunder and Hawks.
  • Washington's offseason additions will allow the Wizards to play more small-ball this season, as J. Michael of CSNWashington.com examines. The opposite approach is taking place in Orlando, where No. 2 overall pick Victor Oladipo will play the point and Maurice Harkless will see some action at two guard, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets.
  • In today's mailbag, a reader asks Ira Winderman of the Sun Sentinel if Michael Beasley could eventually find his way into the Heat's starting lineup ahead of Udonis Haslem.  Winderman doesn't see that as a likely outcome, as the starting five is already overloaded with scorers.  Beyond that, Beasley has to prove himself as being worthy of a roster spot and worth an extra $2MM+ when factoring in his salary along with the luxury tax.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

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Eastern Notes: Wilkins, Smith, Heat, Wizards

September 12th, 2013 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Eastern Conference teams have reached agreements with free agents today, as the Sixers worked to finalize a deal for Darius Morris, while the Bulls signed a pair of players – Patrick Christopher and Kalin Lucas – for camp. Here's more from around the East:

  • Free agent forward Damien Wilkins has been working out for the Hawks in Atlanta, according to Shams Charania of RealGM.com. The 33-year-old, who has played for the Hawks, Pistons, and Sixers in the last three seasons, also worked out for the Spurs last week, says Charania. No deal is imminent, but the Hawks appear to have some interest.
  • Two months after he officially signed his deal with the Pistons, Josh Smith tells Keith Langlois of Pistons.com that he feels great about choosing Detroit. "Our team, our roster, is very impressive to me," Smith said. "Everybody wants to get better and everybody wants to do it together. Whenever you are able to be a part of something like that, it’s special."
  • Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel is surprised the Heat would bring back a player like Michael Beasley, who "didn't exactly do things the Heat way," and that the team may give him minutes over guys like James Jones and Rashard Lewis, who have "toed every Heat line."
  • Although Mike James has played for several NBA teams since 2009, this will be the first time since then he has participated in training camp, writes Keith Schlosser of Ridiculous Upside. James reportedly agreed to a camp deal with the Bulls.
  • The Wizards have hired former Raptors executive Marc Eversley as vice president of scouting, a source tells Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
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Suns, Wizards Lead NBA With 7 Rookie-Scale Deals

September 6th, 2013 at 6:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Lakers have glitz, glamour and 16 NBA titles. Still, they're the only team in the league without a player on a rookie-scale contract.

Every other club has at least one generally team-friendly rookie-scale deal on its books. The Suns boast seven such deals, nearly half of the 16 guaranteed contracts on their roster, and it makes sense, given the team's commitment to youth this season. The Wizards also have seven rookie-scale contracts, but they have playoff aspirations this season. One of their rookie-scale guys, John Wall, will be getting a hefty raise soon, since he agreed to a maximum-salary extension earlier this summer. For now, though, he's still a bargain, as is Larry Sanders of the Bucks, who also has signed an extension during the season.

Teams aren't so lucky with every rookie-scale contract. The Celtics gave up Fab Melo via trade with the Grizzlies, and Memphis turned around and waived last year's 22nd overall pick. His deal will still be on the team's books, though we don't list it below.

The Sixers are in the middle of the pack with four rookie deals, but they should be climbing the chart soon, since they have a pair of unsigned 2013 draft picks in Nerlens Noel and Michael Carter-Williams. The Spurs haven't signed 28th overall pick Livio Jean-Charles, but he seems likely to play overseas this season, so San Antonio will probably stay with two rookie-scale contracts this year.

Here's the complete list, with the year the contract expires in parentheses:

Phoenix Suns (7)

Washington Wizards (7)

Utah Jazz (6)

Cleveland Cavaliers (5)

Sacramento Kings (5)

Boston Celtics (5)

Milwaukee Bucks (5)

Oklahoma City Thunder (5)

Orlando Magic (5)

Charlotte Bobcats (4)

Golden State Warriors (4)

Minnesota Timberwolves (4)

Philadelphia 76ers (4) #

Portland Trail Blazers (4)

Atlanta Hawks (3)

Denver Nuggets (3)

Detroit Pistons (3)

Chicago Bulls (3)

Houston Rockets (2)

Indiana Pacers (2)

Memphis Grizzlies (2)

New Orleans Pelicans (2)

New York Knicks (2)

San Antonio Spurs (2) #

Toronto Raptors (2)

Brooklyn Nets (1)

  • Mason Plumlee (2017)

Dallas Mavericks (1)

  • Shane Larkin (2017)

Los Angeles Clippers (1)

  • Reggie Bullock (2017)

Miami Heat (1)

Los Angeles Lakers (0)

*—Player has received rookie-scale extension
#—Team has unsigned 2013 first-round pick 

HoopsWorld was used in the creation of this post.

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Timberwolves Hire Milt Newton As GM

September 6th, 2013 at 2:50pm CST by Luke Adams

SEPTEMBER 6TH, 2:50pm: The Timberwolves have officially hired Newton as the team's general manager, the team announced today (Twitter link). Jackson's hiring will likely be announced first thing next week, tweets Zgoda.

AUGUST 29TH, 6:29pm: Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune (via Twitter) says that the team won't finalize and announce the hirings until next week. 

AUGUST 28TH, 1:41pm: The Timberwolves are in negotiations to add at least two new faces to the franchise, according to various reports. Both Charley Walters of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Jerry Zgoda of the Star Tribune are reporting that the T-Wolves are expected to hire Wizards exec Milt Newton as the team's new general manager, and Bobby Jackson as a player development coach.

Newton and Jackson have both been interviewed for their respective positions and should finalize deals with the Wolves soon, with the hirings set to be formally announced shortly thereafter. Zgoda and Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link) also note that Koichi Sato will likely come from the Wizards along with Newton, and will become Minnesota's new strength coach. Wolves president Flip Saunders worked with Newton and Sato when he coached the Wizards, while Jackson played under current head coach Rick Adelman for several years in Sacramento.

The hirings, when they become official, will essentially signal the end of a busy offseason for the Wolves, barring some smaller moves. In addition to hiring a new president (Saunders) and GM (Newton), the team has also committed the second-most money of any NBA club in free agency this summer, as I detailed yesterday.

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Eastern Notes: Nets, Wizards, Sixers, Gibson

September 5th, 2013 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Given the makeup of their roster, the Nets likely won't have a ton of flexibility when it comes to making trades later in the 2013/14 season, as Steve Kyler writes in his latest piece for HoopsWorld. However, Kyler notes that smaller deals to reduce the team's tax bill are possibilities. For instance, if Tornike Shengelia and/or Mirza Teletovic end up not playing a role in Brooklyn's rotation, attempting to move them in salary-dump trades could save the Nets exponentially more money than just those players' salaries.

Here's more from around the Eastern Conference:

  • Within the same piece, Kyler examines the Wizards' trade options, pointing out that Emeka Okafor and Trevor Ariza could become more desirable assets closer to the deadline, when the Wiz have already paid most of their salaries. There's plenty of optimism about the season in Washington though, so any sort of fire sale is unlikely, unless the club gets off to a very poor start.
  • The Sixers have yet to sign a veteran free agent this summer, but the team may be exploring the idea of adding Daniel Gibson, a source tells Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio (via Twitter).
  • Three Eastern teams – the Sixers, Bobcats, and Magic – rank among Shlomo Sprung's picks for the top five contenders in the Andrew Wiggins sweepstakes (link via Sheridan Hoops).
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Western Rumors: Odom, Wolves, Kings, Lee, Mavs

September 4th, 2013 at 5:59pm CST by Chuck Myron

Jordan Farmar tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that he and other former teammates of Lamar Odom haven't heard back from the free agent forward amid ominous reports about his off-court issues. McMenamin also shares reflections on Odom from other current and former Lakers figures, and the scribe finishes with a touching personal anecdote about his interaction with the forward. Of course, Odom isn't the only NBA player dealing with trouble these days. About half of Hoops Rumors readers believe Michael Beasley is worth a look from their favorite teams, so perhaps there's a chance Odom can make it back to the NBA. Here's more from around the Western Conference:

  • Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor tells Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (Twitter link) that the club doesn't have any interest in bringing in a veteran free agent as a 15th man, preferring to keep that last roster spot open for a young player.
  • A labor agreement for the construction of a new Kings arena in Sacramento was announced today, as expected, but the head of a group that opposes such agreements says they may donate to the same anti-arena petition effort that Seattle investor Chris Hansen funded. Ryan Lillis and Dale Kasler of The Sacramento Bee have the details.
  • David Lee's offseason hip surgery revealed the injury he suffered in the playoffs was even worse than previously thought, but he's already back to 100% and working out with most of his Warriors teammates, as Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group reports. 
  • The Mavericks have hired Wizards scout Mike Wilson in a player personnel role, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports.
  • We rounded up a few items from the Pacific Division earlier today.
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Odds & Ends: Telep, Jefferson, Griffin

September 1st, 2013 at 10:12pm CST by Zachary Links

The Spurs have always been about innovation in the front office and they made an out-of-the-box hiring today by hiring well-respected prep recruiting analyst Dave Telep, league sources told Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports.  Telep, who recently left a job at a cable TV outlet, will work in a scouting coordinator role for the NBA draft under GM R.C. Buford.

  • It's difficult to be excited about the offseason in the Southeast Division with the most exciting move being the Bobcats signing Al Jefferson to a hefty contract, writes CBSSports.com's Royce Young.  However, there is a power shift with the Heat at the top and the Wizards and Bobcats are trending up a bit while the Hawks will probably take a step back.
  • Whether or not the Clippers can truly contend in 2013/14 depends on star forward Blake Griffin, opines Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld.
  • In his weekend mailbag, Doug Smith of the Toronto Star writes that Landry Fields, who signed a three-year, $18.75MM, deal with the Raptors last offseason, is slowly working to get his shot back while rehabbing his arm/elbow injury. 
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Poll: Where Will Jason Collins Play Next Season?

August 24th, 2013 at 6:58pm CST by Spencer Lund

In April this year, Jason Collins came out as the first active male homosexual athlete in an American professional sport. So far, he's failed to find an NBA team that can use his defense, size, toughness and veteran leadership.

This isn't so much related to his sexual orientation, but the fact he's a 12-year journeyman big in a league that's increasingly made a backup center somewhat superfluous.

Kevin Arnovitz of ESPN.com wrote earlier today that an informal poll of league executives and general managers during Las Vegas' Summer League shows that Collins stands a good chance to land on an NBA roster as a 12th, 13th, or 14th man. The belief is he'll catch on as we progress towards training camp and teams look to flesh out their rosters. The informal poll by Arnovitz mirrors the one ESPN.com's Marc Stein conducted among general managers the day after Collins came out in Sports Illustrated.

Some teams have shown an interest already, but we're still more than a month from the start of training camp, and Collins is unsigned. Here's a look at some of the teams that have expressed interest, but so far failed to sign the veteran center. 

  • The last team he played for, the Wizards, do not appear likely to bring the big man back as he was included in the Jordan Crawford trade primarily to make the numbers work. 
  • The Nets were also interested in Collins since he last played with Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce with the Celtics before being dealt to Washington. 
  • Y! Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski reported that when the Celtics traded Collins to the Wizards in February, Garnett was said to have been "extremely frustrated."
  • Collins also has a history with the Nets' Jason Kidd and new assistant coach Lawrence Frank, after playing under Frank during Kidd's run with the Nets earlier in the millennium.
  • But because Reggie Evans was not ultimately included in the trade bringing Pierce and KG to Brooklyn, the need for Collins to backup KG and Brook Lopez dissipated.
  • The Pistons expressed exploratory interest in Collins earlier this month. But after he worked out for them, they elected not to sign the 34-year-old out of Stanford. 
  • Collins expressed an interest in returning to the Celtics weeks before coming out as gay.

So Collins is still a free agent despite most executives believing he'll find a roster spot before the season starts. 

The question remains: where will Jason Collins play next season, if at all?

 

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