Odds & Ends: Bobcats, Expansion, Kings, Brown
USA Today's Sam Amick rounds up the news from the Board of Governors meeting today, which featured unanimous approval of Charlotte's name change from Bobcats to Hornets. Commissioner David Stern initially laughed off the idea of the switch, but fan support for the Hornets monicker persuaded him to take the issue seriously, Amick writes. Stern also offered hints that the league could consider expansion to Seattle and Las Vegas in the future, and he said the union's lack of an executive director has hung up the league's plans to implement human growth hormone testing by next season. Amick also passes along the league's rule adjustments, and we've got more from the meeting as we look around the Association this evening:
- In May, the league imposed a deadline of 2017 for the opening of a new arena in Sacramento, but Stern indicated today that he's pleased with the progress the Kings and the city are making, as Jason Jones of the Sacramento Bee observes.
- The Nuggets, Wizards, Grizzlies, Suns and Knicks were all in attendance as Bobby Brown participated in a five-on-five scrimmage Wednesday, reports Adam Zagoria of SNY.tv. The Knicks also saw Brown workout Tuesday, and they're reportedly moving toward a deal.
- Eric Gordon tells Shams Charania of RealGM.com that the Pelicans have assured him that he's a part of the team's long-term plans.
- Lakers VP Jim Buss said on NBA TV tonight that he strongly believes Kobe Bryant's torn Achilles will be healed in time for him to play in preseason games this fall, notes Arash Markazi of ESPNLosAngeles.
- The Bulls may have promised a training camp invitation to Andrew Goudelock as an enticement to get him to play for their summer league team, according to Mike McGraw of the Daily Herald (Twitter link).
- Raptors GM Masai Ujiri has maintained flexibility with his underwhelming free agent haul this summer, but his decision to keep the core of the team intact could have negative consequences, as Eric Koreen of the National Post examines.
Odds & Ends: Billups, Jennings, Bobcats, Pelicans
- The Bucks and Jennings' camp both see a sign-and-trade as ideal, but it seems he's more likely to ink his qualifying offer, writes Michael Hunt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Hoops Rumors readers see a signed QO as the most likely outcome.
- Bobcats coach Steve Clifford wants the team to carry six big men and add a third point guard, notes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer. There are six bigs on the roster, but Jeff Adrien's deal is non-guaranteed.
- Charlotte's name change from the Bobcats to the Hornets is set to receive official NBA approval Thursday, Bonnell notes in a separate piece. The switch will occur next summer.
- The Pelicans' offseason is a "game-changer" for Eric Gordon, writes Sam Amick of USA Today, as the team's moves have helped sculpt an intriguing core that figures to entice the once-disgruntled shooting guard to stay.
- Ailene Voisin of The Sacramento Bee spoke with Kings minority owner John Kehriotis, who's in a somewhat awkward situation after making a play at the majority interest in the team that went to new principal owner Vivek Ranadive.
- Kurt Rambis made comments on ESPN last fall that reportedly prompted Lakers coach Mike D'Antoni to cross him off his list of potential assistants, but it appears D'Antoni has changed his mind, as Rambis is set to join his staff, notes Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. Johnny Davis will join him, along with fellow newcomers Mark Madsen and Larry Lewis.
- The Wizards will hire Frank Ross as director of player personnel, TNT's David Aldridge tweets. Ross has been serving as the Thunder's scouting director for the East Coast.
Wizards Rumors: Wall, Bynum, Haynes
Over the weekend, John Wall spoke with Michael Lee of the Washington Post about his expectations for the upcoming season. While many are wondering about his future with the Wizards, he claims that his focus will be reaching the postseason for the first time in his NBA career. Could he be headed to the negotiating table sooner rather than later? Here's more on that and other notes on D.C..
- The Wizards have began talking with Wall's agent, Dan Fegan, regarding an extension before the regular season, according to J. Michael of CSNWashington.com. Wall will make $7.259MM this season and if he and the team don't reach a deal on an extension by October 31st, the Wizards have the option of extending him a qualifying offer of $9.698MM in the spring. The Wizards star believes that he is deserving of a max deal, but many in the basketball world do not agree.
- Guard Will Bynum said that he had an offer from the Wizards and was drawing heavy interest from the Knicks and Clippers, but the Pistons were always his preference, tweets Keith Langlois of NBA.com. Detroit re-signed Bynum to a two-year, $5.75MM deal earlier this month.
- Wizards summer league invite Marquez Haynes is impressing people in the organization, including assistant coach Sam Cassell, Michael writes. The guard had interest from other clubs this summer, including the Mavs and Jazz, but wound up with the Wizards' squad.
Eastern Notes: MWP, Rondo, Ariza, Jennings
As the third week of NBA free agency gets underway, let's round up a few items related to Eastern Conference teams….
- Agent Marc Cornstein confirms to Marc Berman of the New York Post that there's mutual interest between the Knicks and his client, Metta World Peace. World Peace and his reps are expected to weigh several options before making a decision.
- Celtics fans shouldn't have to worry about Rajon Rondo pulling a Ray Allen anytime soon. At his summer camp in Kentucky, Rondo declared that he "would never play for the Miami Heat" (link via WEEI.com).
- The players the Celtics acquired from the Nets in their blockbuster trade aren't as valuable as the draft picks involved, but MarShon Brooks could end up being a hidden gem, writes Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com.
- With his free agency a year away, Wizards forward Trevor Ariza has signed with agent Rob Pelinka of Landmark Sports, tweets Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports. Ariza had previously been represented by David Lee.
- Tom Ziller of SBNation.com examines a few potential outcomes for Brandon Jennings' free agency, including accepting the Bucks' qualifying offer.
Southeast Updates: Wall, Harrington, Bobcats
Michael Lee of the Washington Post spoke with John Wall today about his expectations for this upcoming season, which will be Wall's fourth in the league. Wall was matter-of-fact about his focus for next season tell Lee (via Twitter):
"My whole goal is, this is my 4th year & I need to be in the playoffs. Nothing more & nothing else needs to be said about that.”
Wall will make $7.259MM this season with the Wiz and if he and the team don't reach a deal on an extension by October 31st this year, the Wizards have the option to extend him a QO of $9.698MM in the spring.
Here are some more notes from around the Southeast division…
- Lee also writes at the Washington Post that third pick Otto Porter's versatility will be put to the test.
- Heat President Pat Riley says the team will try to find young veterans who can supplant the team's stars when they move on, as Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun Sentinel notes.
- The Magic will likely buy-out Al Harrington tweets Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld.
- Louis Williams missed a large part of last season after he tore his right ACL, but as Lang Green at HoopsWorld finds out he's still a big part of the Hawks' plans after talking to coaches and executives. If the Hawks were to trade Williams to free up cap space, Mark Deeks of Shamsports.com says they would have no problem doing so.
- The Bobcats finally made a splashy free agency signing by getting Al Jefferson with a three-year $41MM deal earlier this summer. Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer writes that Jefferson has special skills as one of the last dominant low-post big men in the game today.
- Bonnell's colleague, Charlotte Observer columnist Scott Fowler sounds off on the hysteria over the Bobcats/Hornets name change.
Nuggets Among Teams Eyeing Nate Robinson
4:21pm: The Wizards, Bucks, Mavericks and Lakers have also shown interest in Robinson, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets. The Lakers and Mavs have signed a few other guards in recent days, prompting Kennedy to wonder if they're still in on Robinson (Twitter link).
2:33pm: The Nuggets are letting it be known that they have "certifiable interest" in Nate Robinson, tweets Marc Stein of ESPN.com. Robinson, who spent last season on a minimum-salary contract with the Bulls, has been linked to the Knicks, Wolves, Pacers at various points this month. The Bulls, under financial constraints, offered him another minimum-salary deal to return, but it seems clear that won't be happening. Coach Tom Thibodeau would have reservations about bringing him back anyway, as Stein notes in a second tweet.
The explosive 5'9" guard had moments of brilliance in the postseason, scoring 34 points in a game against the Nets, but showed his inconsistency as well, delivering a scoreless, 0-for-12 performance in Game Four of Chicago's series with the Heat. Still, when I examined his free agent stock, I thought the Aaron Goodwin client would merit an annual salary in the range of the the $3.183MM taxpayer's mid-level exception.
Denver let go of Andre Iguodala this summer, but with J.J. Hickson and Randy Foye coming aboard, the team still figures to be capped out. That means the team could offer Robinson a part of the larger non-taxpayer's mid-level, though with the Bulls, Knicks and Pacers probably out of the running and limited chatter about the Wolves or other suitors, it could be that the Nuggets wind up with Robinson for little more than the minimum salary. They'd still need to use either the mid-level or the biannual exception to give him that, but they'd preserve flexibility for another addition.
Robinson, a 40.5% three-point shooter last season, would add long-distance shooting to a Denver team that missed that element in 2012/13. He can play either guard position, but his lack of height could be a problem against taller shooting guards, so the team's interest in him lends further credence to the idea that backup point guard Andre Miller is on the trading block.
Wizards Interested In DeJuan Blair
The Wizards have interest in free agent forward DeJuan Blair, sources tell Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). A sign-and-trade deal remains a consideration, but the Spurs may be unmoved by the choices they have in a swap with Washington.
For his last couple of years in San Antonio, Blair hasn't had a clearly defined role and the big man has spoken openly about his desire for more playing time, whether it be with the Spurs or another club. Blair's gripe first started last season when, despite playing 21+ minutes per contest in the regular season, he was barely featured in the playoffs. This season, he played a career low 14 minutes per contest and saw just 6.3 minutes of burn in the club's Finals run.
In four seasons for the 24-year-old, Blair has averaged 7.8 points with 5.8 rebounds per contest.
Southeast Notes: Jones, Magic, Harrington
When the Magic declined to tender a qualifying offer to DeQuan Jones last month, that left open the possibility that the team could re-sign him as unrestricted free agent. However, Jones spoke with Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, who says that the Magic told him that won't happen. In 12.7 minutes per contest last season, the University of Miami product averaged 3.7 PPG and 1.7 RPG. Here's more out of the Southeast Division..
- The Magic's deals with Al Harrington and Hedo Turkoglu are only partially guaranteed, and neither veteran expects the team to keep them, writes Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel, noting that both of them hope the front office decides their futures soon.
- Wizards coach Randy Wittman would like the team to add a stretch four, but team president Ernie Grunfeld is content to leave the roster alone for now, as Michael Lee of the Washington Post observes.
- The NBA's Board of Governors will vote this week to formally approve the Bobcats' plan to change their nickname to Hornets for 2014/15, HoopsWorld's Alex Kennedy tweets.
Chuck Myron contributed to this post.
Odds & Ends: Jenkins, Wizards, Warriors, Amnesty
It’s already been a busy night, as news broke of Andrei Kirilenko‘s deal with the Nets followed shortly after by word that the Lakers would amnesty Metta World Peace. Here are some other odds and ends from around the NBA on Thursday night:
- The Hawks have named Taylor Jenkins as an assistant coach, the team announced
today in a press release. Jenkins had most recently been the head coach of the D-League’s Austin Toros. - The Wizards are in no rush to fill their final roster spot,
since they want to have flexibility for when the right player comes along,
according to GM Ernie Grunfeld (Twitter link). Grunfeld sounded optimistic about the team’s offseason today, as the Wiz wrapped us their summer minicamp, writes Gene Wang of the Washington Post. - The Wiz cut ties with roster longshots Josh Boone, Kevin Dillard and James Harris today, tweets Michael Lee of the Washington Post.
- Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News outlines how the Warriors front office has changed the way the team is viewed around the NBA, to the point where he says Golden State has “switched places” with the Lakers. Kawakami also provides a transcript of Andre Iguodala‘s introductory press conference.
- Now that the Lakers have amnestied World Peace, only 12 teams remain that haven’t utilized the provision and within those teams, only 30 players are left that fit the criteria for amnesty eligibility. Here is the list, courtesy of Marc Stein of ESPN.
Wizards Sign Martell Webster To Four-Year Deal
JULY 10TH, 4:18pm: The Wizards have officially announced Webster's signing in a press release.
JULY 2ND, 1:57pm: The fourth year of Webster's deal will be partially guaranteed, tweets Wojnarowski.
1:42pm: Wojnarowski reports (via Twitter) that Webster's deal with the Wizards will be worth $22MM over four years. So my prediction that the four-year agreement would probably mean a lower annual salary was way off.
Webster's contract will almost certainly use up Washington's entire mid-level exception, since, as we noted in an earlier post, a four-year deal worth the full MLE this summer will work out to $21,990,500. That means that the Wiz have already committed to using both their mid-level exception and their bi-annual exception (on Eric Maynor), so if the team hopes to add more free agents, it will have to be via sign-and-trade or the veteran's minimum.
1:35pm: The Wizards and Martell Webster have reached an agreement on a four-year deal, reports Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). Multiple reports suggested yesterday that even after the Wizards drafted Otto Porter and Glen Rice Jr. last week, re-signing Webster was the team's top priority in free agency.
TNT's David Aldridge had indicated that Washington would likely use part, but not all, of its mid-level exception to bring back Webster. Considering the 26-year-old is receiving a four-year deal, I would guess the annual salary will be a little lower than if Webster had re-signed for just one or two years, though the terms of the agreement haven't been reported yet.
Webster signed a one-year contract worth $1.75MM with the Wizards last summer and enjoyed the most productive season of his eight-year career. In 76 games for Washington, the Relativity Sports client established new career-highs in PPG (11.4), 3PT% (.422), and PER (13.9), among other categories.