Latest On Michael Redd
After seeing his playing time and production decline significantly due to injuries during his previous three seasons, Michael Redd had a bit of a bounceback year in Phoenix in 2011/12, averaging 8.2 points in just 15.1 minutes per game. Those numbers should be enough to earn him another NBA contract, and according to Sam Amico of FOX Sports Ohio, there are a number of potential suitors in play. While Amico says the Cavs don't have interest, he lists the Nuggets, Wizards, Grizzlies, Bulls, and Thunder as possible fits (Sulia link).
I outlined yesterday why the Nuggets could use a shooter, and I could see the Wizards and Grizzlies wanting to add a little more size at the two. While we heard of the Bulls' interest earlier in the summer, I can't see them as a real possibility at this point, considering their cap situation — they'd have to trade away a player before they'd even have room to sign Redd. As for the Thunder, they could add one more backcourt player to replace Derek Fisher, as Amico notes, adding that he wouldn't be surprised to see Fisher end up in San Antonio.
Redd is probably unlikely to land more than a minimum-salary deal this offseason, which may limit his earnings, but should open up plenty of options. While a number of teams no longer have cap space or mid-level exceptions available, clubs can use the minimum salary exception as many times as they like.
Morris Almond Signs With Serbian Team
Serbian basketball team Red Star Belgrade announced that it has signed Morris Almond to a one-year deal, according to Michael Lee of the Washington Post. Almond finished the 2011/12 year on a ten day contract with the Wizards, scoring a combined 14 points in four appearances.
The 27-year-old wasn't asked back for 2012/13 after fellow shooting guard Cartier Martin was re-signed and Bradley Beal was tabbed with the third overall pick. Almond has spent the bulk of the last three seasons in Europe and in the D-League after being drafted in the first-round by the Jazz in 2007.
Southeast Notes: Blatche, Van Gundy, Magic, Heat
It doesn't appear that 2012/13 will be a season of parity in the Southeast Division. The NBA champion Heat are the overwhelming favorites to win the division again, but the Southeast may also feature a pair of the league's worst teams — when we asked last week which club would finish 2012/13 with the worst record in the NBA, over 80% of you voted for either the Magic or Bobcats. Here are a few Monday notes out of the Southeast:
- Andray Blatche spoke to Donna Ditota of the Syracuse Post-Standard about the way his time with the Wizards ended and the next step for his career. Asked about possible interest from the Heat and Spurs, Blatche said simply expressed a desire to get back on the court: "It doesn’t matter if it’s the Heat or the Spurs or the D-League. Whatever. As long as I’m back on the court playing ball."
- Appearing on Mike Bianchi's radio show in Orlando this morning, Stan Van Gundy criticized Magic CEO Alex Martins for the way he handled the discord between Van Gundy and Dwight Howard (link via Brian Schmitz of the Orlando Sentinel).
- In a mailbag for the South Florida Sun Sentinel, Ira Winderman explains why it was necessary for the Heat to include 2014 opt-out clauses in the contracts for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
Lakers Sign Jodie Meeks
4:37pm: Meeks' agent David Bauman tells Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com that his client could earn up to $2MM in the second year of his deal, via incentives. In order for that to be possible under cap rules, I believe there'd have to be incentives in year one that Meeks would have to achieve first.
MONDAY, 3:31pm: The Lakers have officially announced the signing of Meeks, tweets Mike Trudell of Lakers.com.
FRIDAY, 3:24pm: The Lakers and Jodie Meeks have agreed to terms on a two-year deal worth about $3MM, tweets Mike Bresnahan of the Los Angeles Times. The second year of the contract is a team option, according to Bresnahan.
Meeks was reportedly uninterested in signing for the veteran's minimum, while the Lakers were reluctant to use their full $3.09MM mid-level exception, so it seems the two sides reached a compromise. Meeks' deal will pay him more than the minimum, but only a portion of Los Angeles' mid-level.
The acquisition of Meeks is far from the Lakers' biggest move of the day, but it's a solid signing that helps solidify an ever-improving bench and provides some wing depth behind Kobe Bryant. When I examined some of the Lakers' free agent options last week, I suggested Meeks could be the best fit for the team, given his skill-set and likely price tag. The 24-year-old is a career 37.1% three-point shooter in three seasons with the Bucks and Sixers.
According to Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld, Meeks received larger offers from the Bucks and Wizards, but wanted to compete for a title with the Lakers (Twitter link).
Southeast Rumors: Magic, Wizards, Sichting
Orlando is once again the center of the NBA universe as the Magic are reportedly working on yet another Dwight Howard trade. Sam Amick of SI.com provided an update earlier on the talks, and in his story he passed along a few comments from Magic CEO Alex Martins on how the team will proceed with Howard.
"We have very specific goals as to what we would hope to achieve if we were to trade Dwight, OK?" Martins said. "We acknowledge and are realistic about the fact that you're never going to get equal value in return for Dwight Howard. But if we were to trade him, we have three primary goals that we're trying to achieve and in the end, any deal that's proposed to us I think we've been very clear about the fact about the goals of what we're trying to achieve."
Martins didn't specify what the three goals are, but said the team hasn't delineated from its plan, and added that the ability to acquire "the right combination of pieces" in return for Howard will determine whether they make a deal. We've got more on the Magic and the rest of the Southeast Division here:
- The Wizards have hired Jerry Sichting as an assistant coach, the team reports on its website. Sichting has 24 years of NBA experience as a player, assistant coach, and front office executive, but spent last season coaching Martinsville High School, his alma mater, in Indiana.
- Vincent Goodwill of the Detroit News tweets that Harold Ellis, director of pro personnel for the Pistons, is jumping to the Magic to work in a similar capacity. He follows Scott Perry, who left the Pistons in June to become Orlando's assistant GM.
- Scott Howard-Cooper of NBA.com doesn't think the latest Howard deal makes sense for the Magic (Twitter link). Andy Kamenetzky of ESPNLosAngeles.com also looks at what each side might get in the deal, and believes the Sixers are the only team that would benefit. The deal remains fluid, though, and some of the players currently said to be part of the deal may not be included.
Free Agent Spending By Division: Southeast
While a handful of free agents are still on the market and many will sign deals in the coming weeks, the brunt of the offseason spending is now complete. Using Hoops Rumors' Free Agent Tracker, we'll be looking back at this summer's free agent signings, checking in on which teams were the offseason's big spenders and which teams were relatively quiet. Our look at summer spending starts with the Southeast Division, and will eventually continue to cover the other five divisions.
These figures only take into account free agent signings, so salary absorbed in trades or money used to sign draft picks isn't included in this list. Additionally, not all of this salary is necessarily guaranteed, which we'll try to note as we go along. Here are the Southeast's expenditures in free agency, sorted by player salary:
Orlando Magic: $25.2MM (Jameer Nelson)
Besides adding rookies Andrew Nicholson and Kyle O'Quinn, the Magic really only made one signing, inking Nelson to a three-year deal. Not all of the $25.2MM is guaranteed, but Nelson will make a guaranteed $8.6MM in each of the first two seasons of the contract, which certainly isn't an inconsequential commitment for a team looking to create cap flexibility.
Atlanta Hawks: $22.396MM (Lou Williams, DeShawn Stevenson)
A necessary add-on via sign-and-trade in the Joe Johnson blockbuster with the Nets, Stevenson required a three-year deal, but only the first year is guaranteed. Unless Stevenson really impresses the Hawks this year, he'll likely be let go after the season, reducing the Hawks' total summer-2012 commitments to about $17.9MM. Most of that, of course, comes from Williams' deal, which is worth the full mid-level — $15.675MM over three years. Despite being the division's second-biggest spender in free agency, the Hawks cleared a ton of money from their books this offseason by moving Johnson and Marvin Williams.
Miami Heat: $12.439MM (Ray Allen, Rashard Lewis)
Lewis will earn a veteran's minimum worth over $1.3MM from the Heat in each season of his two-year deal. However, his salary will only count toward the team's cap for about $854K in 2012/13 and $884K in 2013/14, shaving a little over $1MM off the Heat's free agent bill. Allen and Lewis also have player options in the final years of their contracts, so Miami's overall price tag for the two players could end up being as little as about $7.17MM, if both opt out early.
Charlotte Bobcats: $10MM (Ramon Sessions)
It was hard to imagine coming into the offseason that the 7-59 Bobcats would be able to attract many desirable free agents to Charlotte. That's turned out to be the case, for the most part, as the club's pursuits of Carl Landry, Antawn Jamison, and others have come up short so far. Sessions was willing to take the Bobcats' money though, signing a two-year deal worth $5MM annually.
Washington Wizards: $1.801MM (A.J. Price, Cartier Martin)
The Wizards have talked about all year about using the trade market as a way of avoiding free agency. They acquired players on expensive, multiyear deals, such as Nene, Emeka Okafor, and Trevor Ariza, noting that it was easier to bring aboard a player whose salary was set in stone rather than trying to negotiate with free agents. So far this summer, the team has stuck to its word, seemingly avoiding the market entirely, except for a pair of minimum-salary deals. The Wizards will pay about $854K of both Price's and Martin's salaries, making Washington's total bill in free agency so far just $1.71MM.
Wizards Notes: Tolliver, Singleton, Blatche
The Wizards are looking to round out their roster with low-cost options and Michael Lee of The Washington Post has the latest on the club's top targets..
- While it's probably a longshot, the Wizards are one of a handful of teams who have expressed interest in Josh Childress, a source told Lee (via Twitter).
- Washington continues to pursue forward Anthony Tolliver but the Wizards so far have only offered him a minimum contract. Tolliver's agent Larry Fox confirmed that the interest is mutual but says that his client isn't “in the minimum game.” The Pacers, Bobcats, and Timberwolves are also said to be in talks with the 27-year-old. Fox is certain that Tolliver will get more than that minimum and says that he is in no rush to sign.
- James Singleton shot down the Wizards' offer of a one-year, minimum contract and now says that he is considering four offers from China. No matter where he signs, the forward plans to make it a two-year deal. While Singleton, 31, enjoyed his time in Washington, he says that he expected a more lucrative offer out of the club.
- The Spurs and Heat have both reportedly expressed exploratory interest in former Wizard Andray Blatche but neither club has made a serious pitch to sign him, according to a source with knowledge of the situation.
Odds & Ends: Wizards, Smith, Christmas, Brooks
Matt Moore and CBS Sports continued their offseason report series today by taking a look at the Washington Wizards. The Wizards haven't made the playoffs since 2008 and have been relatively irrelevant over that time period, but they raised some eyebrows in the offseason with a series of moves that should put them in position to contend for the playoffs this coming season.
Here are some other links and rumblings from this Sunday evening…
- Josh Cohen from NBA.com addresses the Orlando Magic offseason by evaluating the importance of superstars in today's NBA, specifically mentioning how the Orlando franchise has thrived in recent history.
- J.R. Smith, who signed a two year extension with the Knicks in July, said the team has the pieces in place to win it all in an interview with ESPN New York, Ian Begley writes. Smith also conveyed his pleasure on hearing the news that the Knicks signed his younger brother, Chris Smith on August 1.
- Former Temple guard Dionte Christmas landed a partially guaranteed deal with the Celtics earlier this week. Greg Payne of ESPN Boston analyzed Christmas' prospects for the upcoming season with Boston and detailed his European journey that ended with his first NBA deal.
- Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman writes that with the Thunder going cheap in free agency, the growth and development of head coach Scott Brooks will be of increased importance.
Odds & Ends: Suns, Sixers, T-Wolves, Wizards
Let's check in on a Thursday evening odds and ends from around the Association….
- Wesley Johnson believes a fresh start with the Suns could do wonders for his NBA career, writes AZCentral.com's Bob Young.
- CSNPhilly.com's Nick Menta asks if the Sixers will be undergoing a youth movement and giving their rookies significant playing time this season.
- Timberwolves general manager David Kahn says he thinks his team will make the playoffs next season if they can stay healthy, writes TwinCities.com's Bob Sansevere. Kahn also wouldn't say whether or not his team was finished making moves.
- ESPN.com's John Hollinger lists his offseason winners and losers.
- SI.com's Zach Lowe profiles his winners of the offseason.
- Hoopsworld.com's Lang Greene and Joel Brigham wonder if maybe the NBA would be better if players weren't allowed to demand trades in public.
- The Wizards have two empty roster spots, and will probably keep it that way to preserve flexibility heading into training camp, writes the Washington Post's Michael Lee. As far as the recently amnestied Andray Blatche goes, so far there has been no significant interest in his services.
Anthony Tolliver Weighing Free Agent Options
THURSDAY, 2:54pm: The Pacers are also displaying interest in Tolliver, according to Tomasson (via Twitter). Nothing is imminent yet, however.
WEDNESDAY, 7:45pm: Free agent forward Anthony Tolliver said the Wizards have been calling him daily, making them a potential front-runner for the four-year veteran, Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida reports. Tolliver says the Bobcats have reached out to him recently as well, Tomasson writes, and the Timberwolves, who renounced his rights earlier this summer to clear cap space, remain in the running, too. Tolliver is seeking a deal that would give him close to the $2MM he made last year in Minnesota (All Sulia links).
Last month reports suggested the Timberwolves and Cavs were in the lead for Tolliver, but the Cavs have faded from consideration. Tolliver told Tomasson he could still envision a return to the Wolves despite the addition of Andrei Kirilenko, who can play both forward positions just as Tolliver does (Sulia link).
Tolliver's points per game regressed for the second season in a row last year, as he averaged 4.1 PPG in 17.3 minutes a night. His three-point shooting, a strength at 40.9% in 2010/11, dipped to 24.8% this past season. A team willing to give the 27-year-old more than a minimum deal would be banking on a repeat of his production in 2009/10, when he averaged career highs of 11.7 PPG, 7.0 RPG and 31.0 MPG.